


schrödinger's human

by discordiansamba



Series: abyss of memory [7]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-20
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-06-29 23:16:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15739314
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/discordiansamba/pseuds/discordiansamba
Summary: Tucked away on a Galra prison ship, Shiro discovers someone that he shouldn't- Keith.





	1. hunk side

**Author's Note:**

> And we're back! What, did you think I would really leave you hanging for that long? After that cliffhanger? I'm not that cruel, I promise! That said, we're easing into this half of the story, before we get into the real meat of the plot. I'm not totally sure how many parts telling this will take, but maybe three or four- we'll just have to see how things turn out!
> 
> If you're new to this series, this is uh, definitely a super bad place to jump in. You're going to want to go back and read the rest for sure!

Okay, so today had officially taken a weird turn.

That was the only explanation for Shiro returning to the blue lion- with sentries in hot pursuit, he might add- with what looked to be _Keith_ on his back.

A very _human_ Keith.

Like okay, he could have sworn he'd heard him say Keith's name over the coms, but like- he'd thought he'd just been talking to him or something. Not- not whatever this was.

"Lance!" Shiro shouted, leaving no time for questions. "Get going!"

Lance, who by the way was _blissfully_ oblivious up in the blue lion's cockpit, wasted no time in booking it from the prison satellite. Not fast enough- Shiro's little side trip had cost them all the extra time they had. Which meant the network of sentry ships that they had disabled were now back online.

Every last one of them.

Even in the blue lion's hull, he could tell how bad this situation was.

At this rate, Allura wouldn't even be able to open a wormhole. Not without risking a ton of Galra fighters coming through with them, exposing their location to the Galra Empire.

"Oh man, this is _not_ good." Hunk said- and hey, maybe he was stating the obvious, but you know, sometimes the obvious needed stating. "Shiro, what do we-?"

He didn't even get to finish that sentence, the entire lion rocking violently under their feet. He had to scramble to catch Pidge, bracing himself against the wall to stay on his feet. Had they- had they just been hit by something?

"Whoa," Lance's voice came over the coms, "-guys, did you just see that?"

"Lance, we're in the blue lion's hull!" Pidge shouted. "We kind of can't see _anything_!"

"Oh. Right." He could almost hear Lance's frown. "Well, looks like we don't have to worry about that pursuit after all. Keith just sank the whole satellite. That railgun pack a serious punch!"

Well, that was _one_ way to the get the sentries off their backs, but also...

Keith.

Unable to help himself, Hunk felt himself stiffen, looking back towards the person Shiro now had cradled securely in his arms, braced against him so that he didn't pitch with the ship. He... didn't look like he was doing too hot- heck, he was pretty sure he wasn't even like, _conscious_.

And listen- maybe it was kind of hard to see under the mess of dark hair, but that was like, one hundred percent Keith. But if _that_ was Keith, then who the heck was flying the red lion?

Keith. It had to be Keith.

But if that was true, then who the heck did Shiro have cradled in his arms?

Oh man. This was so not what he had signed up for today.

"Guess I can tell Allura we don't need that wormhole." Lance observed.

"No, we're still going to need that." Shiro spoke up. "We're also going to need a healing pod, prepped and ready to go."

"You didn't-"

"No, I'm fine." Shiro told him. "But they aren't."

They. Not Keith. _They_.

"Roger that." Lance said, catching his meaning. "Keith, do you copy? We're gonna need that wormhole after all, buddy."

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Pidge tensing- oh good, so he wasn't alone. He wasn't sure if anyone else had noticed, but Keith- _Kethe_? He was just going to go with Kethe right now. Less confusing.

Ever since that alien mentioned something about there being an extra prisoner, he'd been acting kind of strange. He could tell that much even over the coms. Which yeah, he could kind of understand- he'd been confused by the whole _there's another human this far out in space that wasn't Pidge's dad_ thing too. But from the sound of it...

...it was like he _knew_.

Or at least suspected.

Dreaded?

Oh yeah, that was the one. Yep, that had to be it. Kethe had been dreading this.

"I copy." Keith's voice was tense. "I'll let Allura know."

"Keith," Shiro's tone was as neutral as could be, not giving anything away, "-you'd better come through it with us."

There was a long pause, before, "-sir."

Curt, business-like. Frowning, Hunk glanced over towards Shiro. He didn't _look_ angry, and he didn't _sound_ angry. He just- he looked kind of _distant_ , if anything. Like his mind wasn't all there.

"Shiro?"

Looking up at him, Shiro frowned. "Allura and I will explain everything, as soon as we get him into a healing pod."

And from the sound of it, that was all they were going to get. Exchanging a glance with Pidge, she frowned, shaking her head. It wasn't just Shiro, he noticed- no, she looked a little distracted too.

No, distracted didn't sound right.

Antsy? Worried?

Yep, that was it. She was worried.

Not that he could blame her. Because sure, maybe he looked like a pale shadow of himself, all skin and bones where he had once been lean muscle and like, a metric ton of attitude, but that was _definitely_ Keith.

Except... was it?

Sure, malnourishment was clearly at play here, and that explained a lot. He hated that it did, but well... it did. What it _didn't_ explain were his fingers, that just seemed a little too long and gangly, or the way his hair seemed to tint purple in the light. And sure, both of those things were like, minor, compared to how different Kethe looked, but things like that didn't just _change_.

Kethe had changed. Like, a lot- but he'd been _made_ to change.

Besides, he was his friend. His kitchen buddy!

Having Kethe around made meal prep go so much faster. At least, once they had worked out the whole _fur_ situation. Maybe his actual cooking skills needed some work, which hey, he wasn't about to fault him for, but his knife skills? Amazing.

And like, he listened to him. Every word.

And that... that meant something to him. Even Lance, who was like, his best bud for life, no doubt about that, would _sometimes_ tune him out when he got a little on the rambly side, which hey, he wasn't going to blame him for, he got it. But Kethe?

Every. Word.

So whatever was going on here, whoever _this_ was- it wouldn't change a damn thing.

Except... that sounded kind of mean. Look- maybe he had some doubts about this human Keith, but like... if he was part of some evil plot, would he really be in such bad condition? He could see the outline of his ribs, that's how bad he was.

None of the other prisoners were anywhere _near_ being in as bad a shape as him. It looked like he hadn't gotten a solid meal for _months_ , much less anything that amounted to proper sleep. It was like... it was like he had just been thrown away.

Scrap.

Like he was _scrap_.

And sure, maybe that was like, meant to make them sympathetic to him, but like- even if that were the case, how would the Galra even _know_ they would be coming? Sure, they'd raided a few prisons, but like- how would they even know they would be coming to this exact one?

Heck, they hadn't even known about it until Olia had told them. So unless she'd been fed information by the Empire, which he doubted...

...then yeah. Not some kind of evil plot.

And no, Kethe wasn't part of some kind of evil plot either. They had formed _Voltron_ together. The red lion had flown halfway across the galaxy, just to save him! He didn't think it would do that for anyone that wasn't the real Keith.

He knew that. They _all_ knew that.

...actually, did _Kethe_ know that?

Okay. Yeah. Now he got it. That was what Pidge was worried about. Had to be.

"This is your handsome pilot speaking," Lance's voice piped up, and man, did he ever envy how oblivious he was to what was going on back here, "-we've docked with the Castle of Lions. All passengers, prepare to disembark."

Brows furrowing, Hunk turned to Shiro, about to open his mouth-

"-go on."

Blinking, he quickly shut it. Uh, since when could Shiro read minds? Or had he like, just been that obvious?

Giving him a strained smile, Shiro looked understanding. "Somehow I don't think Keith's going to come out of the red lion on his own. Think you're up to the task?"

"I- uh," frowning, Hunk chewed on his lip, "-I guess?"

"Good," Shiro nodded, "-because you're probably closer to him than any of us."

Eyes widening in surprise, he opened up his mouth to protest. Him? No way that was true. No, the one Keith was closest to was-

...oh.

It _was_ him.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner... whenever it was mealtime, Keith was in the kitchen, right there with him. Helping him. The few times he wasn't, it was because he was away on a mission, or had dozed off on the training deck. He'd just... he'd never thought much of it, just accepting it as something that was, but... huh.

"And Hunk," Shiro's voice caught his attention, "-make sure to tell him that he's a part of this family."

"Yeah," giving him a faint smile, Hunk nodded his head, "-I will."

* * *

Right.

So that was going to be a problem.

Well, at least he knew Keith was definitely _in_ there. Red wouldn't have her particle barrier raised otherwise. Frowning, Hunk folded his arms in front of him, feeling his brow furrow. Maybe Yellow could convince Red to-?

-or maybe he wouldn't need to.

Maybe Red would just let down the particle barrier on her own.

Hesitating for only a second, Hunk decided it was probably best not to look a gift horse ( _lion?_ ) in the mouth. Heading into the red lion, he made a beeline for the cockpit, where, yeah. There was Keith, right where he thought he'd be.

And okay, maybe he didn't understand a whole lot of Galran, but he was pretty sure that some of those were _not_ words he should repeat in mixed company.

Noticing that Hunk was in the cockpit with him, Keith stiffened. Even his tail, which had been thrashing wildly just a second before, went stiff. It kind of reminded him of that time he'd caught the neighborhood stray in their kitchen, seconds before he bolted with one of their fish.

Except unlike that time, he was cutting off Keith's only escape route.

Right.

Moving away from the entrance to the cockpit, he watched as Keith's tail went slack. He watched him with... what was that, apprehension? _Fear_?

It was both.

Oh man.

Right, okay uh- racking his brain for what to do, he reached up, taking off his helmet. Tucking it under one arm, he gave Keith a smile, one that he hoped would put him at ease.

It didn't.

He was a big guy, sure. But Keith had spent like, five months being trained by like, the most elite group of spies he knew of, and he was a top notch fighter even _before_ that. Which, granted, the Blade of Marmora was like, the _only_ elite group of spies that he knew of, but hey- who was counting?

Anyways, point was, Keith could take him.

"Hey."

For a long moment, all Keith did was stare at him, before finally, "-hey."

"So uh, this is like, my first time in the red lion." Hunk told him, racking his brain for something to say and failing. Miserably. "It's nice."

Heaving a sigh, Keith just slumped in his chair. "Hunk, why don't you save us both the trouble, and just cut to the chase? I heard what Shiro said over the coms. So if you came here to kick me out, just get it over with already."

Oh. Right.

Yeah, he should have figured that if he'd heard Shiro say that, so had Keith.

"Keith, I'm not here to kick you out." Hunk told him.

"So then what it is?" Keith asked, trying and failing to keep his voice level. "Am I being tossed in the brig? Shot into space?"

"No!" Hunk exclaimed. "No, of course not! Keith, why would we even do that?"

"It's okay, Hunk. You can stop calling me that already." Keith said, still not daring to actually look at him. "You don't have to keep pretending. You found the real Keith, so I can just go."

Oh no, it was worse than he thought.

"Keith-"

And that was the wrong thing to say.

Springing to his feet, Keith glowered at him, more out of fear than out of fury. "Tell me I'm wrong, Hunk. Tell me that Shiro didn't find what I think he found."

"I-" Opening his mouth to protest, Hunk heaved a sigh, knowing that he couldn't. He didn't know how Keith knew, but he did. Maybe... maybe he'd been afraid of something like this all along.

...he should have realized it. Why hadn't he? Shiro was right, he spent more time with Keith than any of them. Maybe that had changed a little since Regris had shown up, but out of the paladins... yeah, it was him.

God, he wished Regris were actually _here_ right now. Of all the times for him to return to the Blade, it _had_ to be today. They couldn't have just put this whole rescue op off for like, one more day, could they? If they had, Regris would be here, and-

...and he didn't actually know if the other Keith would be. It looked that bad.

Watching that faint bit of hope leave Keith's eyes hurt worse than anything. "So it's true. I'm-"

_-a fake._

"Keith, nobody is-"

"Was he human?" Keith cut him off.

"Uh-"

"Hunk," taking a step forward, Keith's eyes, glowing in the dim light of the cockpit, locked with his, "-was. he. human."

Shoulders slumping, all he could was nod.

Tail drooping, Keith closed his eyes. "Right. Okay. I get it."

Turning sharply on his heel, Keith made for the exit. Maybe he wasn't exactly known for being fast, but upon seeing that, Hunk sprang into action, ignoring the clatter of his helmet as it fell to the ground, forgotten.

"Hey whoa," holding him in place with one arm, he ignored his sputter of protest, "-Keith, where are you going?"

"Where does it look like I'm going?" Keith hissed. "I'm _leaving_."

And just like that, the doors to Red's cockpit slammed shut, effectively trapping them both inside. It took Keith by surprise as much- if not more- than it did him.

"Right," letting go of Keith, Hunk frowned, "-guessing that's the red lion's way of saying no."

Letting out a growl of frustration, Keith stormed over to the pilot's seat, leaping on top of it. Pressing his hands against the access panel in the red lion's head, he grunted, trying to force it open to no avail- it wasn't budging.

He let out a sizable string of Galran swears, topping it off with a hearty, "- _fuck_."

Defeated, Keith slumped into the pilot's seat, tail hanging over the edge, the tip of it twitching in irritation. Folding his arms in front of him, he fixed his gaze forward, glowering out into the hangar like it had done something to offend him.

Not knowing what else to do, Hunk made his way by his side. Keith tensed as he did so, but seemed to relax once he leaned against the red lion's console, giving him a bit of space.

"I don't get it." Keith stated, face scrunching up. "I _have_ to be the fake."

"Do you- do you _want_ to be the fake?" Hunk asked.

Okay, he'd take back what he said earlier. Watching Keith deflate at his question was what hurt worse than anything, anger gone out of him like it was a candle, and someone had blown it out. He drew in on himself, gaze fixed on the cockpit floor. "I _should_ be the fake."

Frowning, Hunk didn't exactly like this method, but he wasn't going to get anywhere if Keith wasn't willing to admit the source of the problem. "Do you _want_ to be the fake?"

For a long moment, there was nothing but silence, Keith's eyes welded shut. Trying not to look at him. Trying not to look at anything.

"...no."

His voice was so quiet, he nearly missed it.

"I- I want to stay."

Opening his eyes, Keith looked up at him. He didn't even need to know how to read Galra eyes to see the pain in them- it was that vivid.

And that was his limit.

Nope. Couldn't take this anymore. Now was hug time.

At first, Keith was stiff in his embrace. Frozen.

"You know what Shiro _did_ tell me?" He asked, feeling Keith flinch in his arms. "He told me that you were part of this family. Told me to tell _you_ that."

"But I might not even be-"

"Doesn't matter." Hunk told him. "I mean, you're right, we'd obviously have to stop calling you Keith, but hey, Kethe's a cool name too."

Guess that was the right thing to say.

Swallowing, Keith grew lax in his arms- before slowly, with much hesitation, returning the hug. Keith buried his head in his shoulder, hair tickling his chin.

It was the sound of the red lion opening the cockpit that pulled them apart. Keith didn't exactly look like all of his problems had been solved, which yeah, of course he didn't. But he looked better than he had when he'd found him in the cockpit, which was basically all that mattered.

"So uh," Hunk began, "-Shiro's probably gathered everyone in the med bay. Do you-?"

"I," gaze falling, Keith pursed his lips, "-I don't think I'm ready to just yet."

"That's cool." Hunk told him. "I'll stay."

Frowning, Keith's brow knit together. "Hunk, you don't have to-"

"Nope." Holding up his hands, Hunk shook his head. "Can't change my mind. I'm staying."

Keith merely stared at him for a long moment, before cracking a smile. "I- thanks, Hunk."

"Hey, that's what friends are for." Hunk told him. "And you and me- we're friends."

"Even if I might be a clone?"

"Even if you're a clone." Hunk told him. "I mean, just for the record, I don't think you are, but hey- even if you were, that's cool."

"Yeah, well that makes one of us." Keith told him. "But thanks, I think."

Nodding his head, they fell into silence for a moment- before Hunk felt himself growing a bit antsy. "So," he began, "-I ever tell you about my one disastrous year as a boy scout?"

Tilting his head, Keith frowned. "What's a boy scout?"

"I'll take that as a no."


	2. x side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From his vantage point, he couldn't make out Keith's eyes. His bangs got in the way. He watched as Keith rested a clawed hand on the pod, peering down at the prone figure inside- at his own face, reflecting back at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, back with the next installment! I'm really excited to finally get to this section of the story, so I hope everyone's just as excited as I am to read it! I still do think this section will be told in four parts, so here's two out of four!

When Shiro came down the blue lion's ramp, she felt herself pale.

All she had heard from Keith was that one of the prisoners they had rescued was in critical condition, and would need a healing pod as quickly as possible. Thinking back on it, his tone had been... _strained_ , to say the least.

Now she knew why.

For the unconscious figure Shiro had on his back was none other than Keith. Or at the very least, someone who looked rather like him.

Impossible. The lions could fly themselves, under certain circumstances, but it had been Keith who had requested the wormhole, so he had to have actually _been_ in the red lion. Not to mention, there was no explanation for how he would have suddenly returned to being human- and even less as to why he would so suddenly be in such poor condition.

Unless...

She felt her blood boil at the mere thought of it. _Haggar_.

"Wha- hold on, is that _Keith_!?"

Lance's voice served to snap her out of her own inner monologue, shaking it off with haste. Regardless of what was going on here, Shiro had seen to it to bring this Keith back- and therefore, she had an obligation of care, one that she would not abandon.

He was right about one thing- he _would_ need that healing pod.

"Princess," Shiro looked at her, for the moment, ignoring Lance's outburst, "-tell me you have that pod ready."

"I- yes." Allura told him. "Coran is waiting in the med bay as we speak."

"Okay, wait, hold on," Lance cut in, not satisfied with being ignored, "-this is _crazy_. That's Keith, right? It's not just me who sees that, right?"

"I know this is a confusing situation," Shiro began, glancing back towards him, "-and we'll discuss it. But our job as paladins isn't over yet."

"But-" Lance began.

"We got it." Pidge cut him off. "Lance and I can deal with the rest of the prisoners."

Lance looked like he wanted to protest, before he quickly shut his mouth. "Fine. But we better be getting an explanation."

"And you will." Shiro promised him. "Or as much as one as we can give."

His gaze drifted towards her then, and it was then that she knew that he was thinking the same thing she was. It was a nauseating thought, but she forced herself not to dwell on it.

Shiro was correct. Their job wasn't over yet.

"Come," she said, "-let us make haste."

Turning on her heel, she heard Shiro shift the unconscious body, before quickly falling into step behind her. She forced herself not to think, for she knew if she began to, she would not stop, not anytime soon.

Right now, the situation called for focus.

"Ah, princess," Coran looked up as she entered, "-I've got that pod you requested all ready to go. Where's our-?"

She watched as Coran's mouth fell open- though to his credit, he just as quickly shut it, recovering his composure. "Right, well- pod's all ready, like I said."

Smiling at him, she understood all too well how he felt. "Thank you, Coran."

"I- will you be needing a hand then?" Coran asked. "Getting ah- getting him in?"

"I'll be fine, Coran." Shiro replied. "He doesn't weigh very much."

Which didn't at all sound like a good thing. Even with her limited knowledge of human anatomy, she knew that they were not supposed to be this skinny. Starvation had been non-existent on Altea, but she had seen its effects on countless other alien races- enough to know without even needing to be asked that he had been starved.

She was unsure what to make of that.

Instead, she stood back, watching as Shiro tried to load the... well he couldn't be _Keith_ , not exactly. She had seen to the results of Kethe's medical exams herself- if there had not been enough evidence that he was the real thing, she would have never allowed him to stay on the Castle of Lions.

The red lion, she knew, could not be fooled.

"I can invert it, you know," Coran piped up, "-they're designed to be vertical, but if you give me a few ticks, I can modify it so that the pod's horizontal. Might be easier on the lad."

Looking over towards Coran, gratitude flashed through Shiro's eyes. "That'd be great, Coran. Thanks."

Carefully pulling the boy from the pod, he cradled him in his arms as Coran made quick work of the pod. With a bit of effort, he realigned it, so that it lay flat against the ground, as opposed to standing upright- a much easier position for someone in such poor condition.

It was with all the care in the world that Shiro set the boy down, only finally seeming to really breathe once the protective shield phased into place. Once it fogged up, indicating that the process had begun, his shoulders slumped, and he staggered a step back.

"Whoa there," Coran began, holding out a hand to help balance him, "-you're sure you don't need one of these?"

"I'm fine, Coran." Shiro promised him. "Just a lot to think about."

"Yes, well," arching his brows, Coran's gaze briefly flickered back towards her, before he fixed it back on Shiro again, "-can't say that I blame you. Is that really-?"

"No."

Shiro's reply was quick. In other circumstances, she would almost say it was _too_ quick, but there was no one here who knew Keith better than him.

She trusted his judgement.

"I assume you'll want me to do some scans, then." Coran noted.

"Can you?" Allura asked.

"Shouldn't be a problem." Coran told her, bringing up a status screen. "Should be simple."

"How long do you think he'll be in there?" Shiro asked.

"Can't say." Coran admitted. "The system is still trying to calibrate just how long. But I wouldn't be surprised if it took up to a whole movement for him to recover, and even then, we'll have our work cut out for us. There's only so much these pods can do."

"But you do think he'll recover." Shiro stated.

Coran merely frowned. "That depends on him, really."

It clearly wasn't what he wanted to hear.

"Shiro," Allura began, "-do you think you could share with us just how you came to find him? And I must admit, I am curious as to why you are so certain that this is _not_ the real Keith."

 _She_ was fairly certain as well, but she was curious as to how _Shiro_ had come to that conclusion. He would have not said what he had, and so firmly, if he were not absolutely certain.

Looking up at her, Shiro gave her a rueful smile. "Just calling him _Keith_ was enough to send him into a panic attack."

The implications of his words were not lost on her.

* * *

"So, any chance you know what's going on here?"

Turning to look at Lance, Pidge merely shook her head. "No clue."

She wished she did, but frankly, she was totally lost. She'd been hoping that they'd finally found her father, not... whatever this was.

A mess, that's what this was.

A complete and total mess.

"Yeah, didn't think so." Lance frowned. "Do you know where Hunk-?"

"He went to find Keith." Pidge replied, barely even realizing she'd cut him off. "Knowing him, he's probably holed himself up in the red lion."

"...by Keith, you mean like, _our_ Keith, right?" Lance asked.

"Yes, Lance, _our_ Keith." Pidge told him, shooting him a look. "Who else would I mean?"

"Look, there's two of them now, okay?" Lance protested. "I just wanted to make sure."

Fair enough. Unless Keith had some sort of super secret twin brother who had been raised in space, that was the only viable explanation.

Which meant one of them had to be a fake.

Or a _clone_ , to be more precise.

She fully understood why Hunk had left in such a hurry. Heck, she'd been thinking about doing it herself- if Shiro hadn't told him to do it, she'd be the one standing in front of the red lion right now.

Why wouldn't she? _She_ was the one that Keith had spoken to about his imposter syndrome, she knew this had to be all of his worst fears come to life.

Yet here she was, assisting the prisoners. Shiro was right- they still had work to do. But that didn't mean that she had to _like_ it. Best to just finish up as quick as possible.

"So do you think it's some kind of trap?" Lance asked after awhile.

"Like I said, I don't know." Pidge told him. "We should wait to hear what Shiro has to say before we jump to any conclusions."

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Lance frowned. "He kinda made it sound like he knew what was going on. Him and Allura."

"They've probably been discussing it." Pidge said. "It's not surprising. We've all been trying to solve the mystery of just what that witch did to Keith."

"Yeah, but like, why wouldn't they share that with us?" Lance asked. "We're a part of this team too. Pretty sure we're all worried about mullet."

"Maybe they just didn't want to say anything until they had concrete evidence?" Pidge frowned. She wasn't gonna lie, that part kind of bugged her too. "And really? Mullet? Still?"

"Hey, I can't just call him _braid_!" Lance protested. "Doesn't sound right."

"And mullet _does_?" Pidge asked, arching her brows.

"Like you're any good at nicknames." Lance huffed. "I mean, who the heck names themselves _Pidge Gunderson_? You could have gone with anything, and you went with that!"

"Hey, I happen to like the name I picked out!" Pidge narrowed her eyes. "Besides, if you have a problem with Pidge, take it up with Matt. _He_ was the one that gave me that nickname, you know."

Shrugging his shoulders, Lance seemed to drop it. His silence didn't last long, but by the time he piped up again, the topic had changed. "...so what do you think we should call him?"

"Who?"

"Keith." Lance told her. "Or well, not _Keith_ , but-"

"...the Keith that Shiro found?" Pidge ventured.

"Yeah, him." Lance said. "I mean, they can't _both_ be Keith."

"Weren't we just discussing if this was some kind of trap?" Pidge asked. "Why are we talking about what to call him?"

"Well, we've got to call him _something_." Lance said.

Fair enough. Mulling it over for a moment, Pidge racked her brain for something that would fit. "How about x?"

"X?" Lance asked. "Why x?"

"You know, like variable." Pidge told him. "Seeing as he's an unknown factor and all."

"Hm," frowning, Lance considered it, "-nerdy, but I like it."

"I'll just take that as a compliment."

* * *

"They're not here yet?"

Glancing up at the sound of Lance's voice, Shiro shook his head. "Keith still needs some time to calm down."

According to the brief message that Hunk had sent him, Keith had been pretty wound up when he found him. He'd managed to calm him down some, but from the sound of it, he still needed some time to cool off before he was ready to face anyone else.

Lips set in a tight frown, he turned to look at the healing pod. He didn't like seeing Keith like this- _any_ version of Keith, even one that was probably some kind of clone. According to Coran, the cryo-replenisher would help a lot, but it would still be up to them to help him regain both the weight and the muscle mass that he'd lost.

If he ever had it in the first place.

It had taken what felt like forever, but the system had finally finished calibrating. Coran's rough estimate had been right- he'd be in there for about a full week. It was possible to keep him in there longer, but at that point, it would just effectively be the same as keeping him in stasis, and he wasn't so sure how he felt about that idea.

Closing his eyes, Shiro turned away. Ideally, he wanted to wait for Hunk and Keith, but-

"Shiro."

Eyes snapping open, they quickly fell on Keith. It was a face that had taken some getting used to, but now he couldn't see it as being anything other than unquestionably Keith.

"Keith," giving him a genuine smile, he felt something in him ease, "-I'm glad you could make it."

Nodding his head, Keith shifted his gaze, letting it fall on the healing pod. It wasn't possible to see the figure inside from where he was standing, but he still tensed.

"You don't have to look if you're not ready." Shiro told him. "You know that, right?"

Gaze flickering towards him, Keith looked almost grateful. "I know."

He went anyways.

Hunk looked up, meeting his eyes, silently asking if he should shadow him- but Shiro just shook his head. This was something Keith needed to face alone.

From his vantage point, he couldn't make out Keith's eyes. His bangs got in the way. He watched as Keith rested a clawed hand on the pod, peering down at the prone figure inside- at his own face, reflecting back at him.

Human.

It was a face he'd only seen once.

For a long time, he simply stood there in silence. If it weren't for the steady rise and fall of his chest, he'd say that he'd gone as still as a statue.

"I didn't-" Keith began, not yet looking up, "-I didn't know."

And that was his cue.

Pushing himself up off the wall he was leaning on, Shiro made his way over towards Keith. Resting a hand on his shoulder, he felt him tense underneath it- before slowly allowing himself to relax. "It's okay, Keith. We know."

Keith looked up at him, golden eyes filling his vision. Adapting to them had taken longer than he wanted to admit- for the first few days, he'd had a rough time just meeting his gaze.

Now they were just another part of Keith.

"But I-"

"This isn't your fault, Keith." Shiro told him. "You couldn't have known. None of us could have."

He looked like he wanted to say something else, but instead, he just nodded, dropping his gaze. His face, with its Galra features, reflected in the false glass of the healing pod, just inches away from that of his human counterpart's.

"Come on," giving his shoulder a reassuring squeeze, Shiro motioned with his head, "-I think Allura and I owe you all an explanation."

Moving away from the healing pod, he watched out of the corner of his eye as Keith lingered for a second longer, before he too, drew away. Joining the others in the center of the room, he hung towards the back, feeling more like a distant shadow than a member of the team.

He didn't like it, but he'd let him be for now. Hopefully what he had to say would clear his doubts.

"Wait so," Lance piped up, "-you have one right? An explanation, I mean?"

"We have a strong _theory_ , at least." Allura said. "But in regards to an actual _explanation_... no, I am afraid not."

"...you know what, I'll take it." Lance told her.

"We'll, you're going to have to, because it's all we've got." Shiro remarked. "Allura, why don't you start?"

"As you all know," Allura began, stepping forward, "-I have been searching for answers as to just what it is that Haggar did to Keith to cause him to lose his memories. When I discovered that she was actually Altean, I began to suspect that her true identity was that of Honerva, the Altean alchemist that my father assigned to study the rift."

"The one that married Zarkon?" Pidge asked.

Nodding her head, Allura frowned. "Yes. Like my father, Honerva possessed a deep understanding of Altean alchemy."

"So what, she used it to create a duplicate Keith?" Lance asked.

Out of the corner of his eye, he didn't miss the way Keith flinched.

"Not exactly." Shiro replied.

"We believe that the answer lies within an ancient Altean ritual, one pertaining to memory." Allura began. "Albeit one whose purpose that Haggar has grossly perverted."

"Sounds pretty par for the course for her." Pidge observed.

"But hey, this means you know what she did to our favorite purple fuzzball, right?" Lance asked, pointedly ignoring the glower Keith sent in his direction.

"I," Allura began, hesitating for a moment, "-I cannot say for certain, but given Shiro's recent discovery..."

"-can we just cut to the chase already?" Keith spoke up. "Look, no offense, but if you've got some kind of answer, I want to hear it."

"Right, of course." Allura nodded, not looking in the least offended by Keith's sudden outburst. "We believe that what Shiro found is the vessel that contains Keith's memories."

"Vessel." Keith repeated, brow furrowing. "Wait, so you're saying-?"

"We believe it's a clone!" Coran piped up. "Rather convincing, really, but not enough to fool my eye."

Relief washed over Keith with the force of a wave, causing him to sink to his knees. Thankfully, Hunk was right there, kneeling down beside him, a steadying hand on his back.

"I'm not-" Keith stammered, "-I thought I was-"

"See?" Hunk beamed. "What did I tell you?"

"Just for the record, I told you as well." Pidge chimed in.

"Wait, told him what?" Lance asked, brows knitting together. "Did I miss something here? I feel like I missed something."

"Keith thought he was a clone." Pidge supplied.

Letting out a loud snort, Lance waved his hand in dismissal. "What? That's dumb. Why would Keith be a clone?"

Maybe it was the brazen dismissal of a fear he'd held close to his chest for so long that did it, but something put the fire back in Keith's chest. Glowering at Lance, Keith narrowed his eyes. "I can think of a lot of reasons."

"To be fair, so can I." Pidge added. "Plus, you know- there's a clone of Keith literally right over there."

Opening his mouth, Lance quickly shut it. "Point taken."

"But you're sure?" Keith asked. "You're sure that's-?"

"Quite." Coran informed him. "I was able to do some quick scans. Not in much depth, mind you, but enough to be able to determine one thing- that his brain is rather young."

"I mean, to be fair, we _are_ all kind of on the young side." Hunk told him. "I mean, except for Shiro. No offense."

"None taken." Shiro told him, holding up a hand.

"Yes, but his is younger still." Coran said. "It's fully formed, yes, no worries there- but it shows no signs of aging at all, especially when compared to the scans we did of Number Four's brain."

"Okay," Keith began, slowly getting back to his feet, "-so he's a clone. How do you know he has...?"

"He knew who I was." Shiro told him.

Frowning, Keith tilted his head. "...yeah, that'd work."

"Okay, so wait," Lance began, "-if he's got Keith's memories, does that mean he like, thinks _he's_ Keith?"

Brow furrowing, Shiro's mouth tightened in a frown. "I'm... not actually sure. He acted like he was having some kind of a panic attack when I called him Keith. After that, he kind of passed out, so I didn't exactly have a chance to ask him any questions."

He wished he had a straight answer to that, but he didn't. The panic attack had been... telling, but there was a chance it might not mean what he thought it did. This was a delicate situation, and the last thing they needed was to rush to conclusions.

Hunk winced at that, seeming sympathetic. "I'm guessing that's not something we can find out with scans."

"No, I'm afraid not." Coran told him. "We'll have to wait for him to wake up, and see what he has to tell us."

"Is that even a good idea?" Pidge asked. "I mean, for all we know, this could be some kind of a trap."

"Oh, so _now_ you think it's a trap." Lance noted, arching his brows.

"Hey, I never said it wasn't." Pidge shot back. "All I'm saying is, we should be careful."

"I don't know," Hunk frowned, "-I really don't think this is a trap. I mean... you saw what condition he was in, right? It looks more like Haggar just... threw him out."

"I have to agree with Hunk." Allura chimed in. "Given the circumstances, I am skeptical this was meant as a trap. So long as Coran's brain scans turn out clean, I say we should release him once he recovers."

"Shiro?" Pidge looked towards him. "You're our leader. What should we do?"

Frowning, Shiro turned towards Keith. "Keith, you're the one this involves more than anyone else. What do you want to do?"

Staring at him, Keith considered the question. "I think- I think we should give him a chance."

He didn't sound very certain about it, but he had kind of put him on the spot. He'd accept that for now, but he'd also give him some time to think it over- just in case he changed his mind.

This was an important decision, he didn't want him to feel rushed. There was no doubt that this wouldn't have _some_ kind of an impact on the team, though at this early stage, he couldn't even begin to hazard a guess as to _what_.

Personally? He didn't like the idea of keeping him trapped in there either.

Maybe he _wasn't_ Keith- maybe Pidge was even right, and this _was_ some kind of trap. But it still didn't feel right to him.

He'd _been_ a prisoner of the Galra. He knew _exactly_ how it felt, and even then, he'd been kept in better conditions than they'd found the clone in. Whether the clone thought of himself as Keith or not, that alone was enough to make him sympathize with him.

"Alright," Shiro said, "-guess it's settled."

* * *

Things got busy once they got to Olkarion.

Everyone expected it. It was practically routine at this point. The addition of an extra passenger didn't change things any.

Besides, like Coran put it- he wasn't exactly going anywhere.

Not for a full movement, at least. He'd rigged the pod to notify him if anything went wrong, but as far as he could tell, although the clone was severally malnourished, there didn't seem to be anything physically wrong with him, no injuries of any kind- at least, not based off his initial scan.

When things finally calmed down enough to take a breather, she was surprised to find that she wasn't alone. It wasn't like Keith was an unfamiliar sight, but he tended to spend more of his break time on Olkarion out in the forests than he did in the city itself, even if the overlook that she had picked did have a great view of them.

Maybe he just didn't feel like being alone right now.

Which was fair. Today's events had been pretty... well, _shocking_ , to say the least. Even if they had come with the edge of relief that what they had found was a clone, and _not_ the real Keith, it still meant that there had been someone out there all this time who had likely _believed_ himself to be Keith, rotting away in a Galra prison cell.

It was enough to make her hope that this _was_ some kind of trap.

Glancing up at her, Keith gave her a half-smile. "Hey."

"Hey yourself." Pidge told him. "Not out playing nature boy?"

Letting out a snort, Keith hung his head, braid dangling over his shoulder. He was wearing his Blade of Marmora armor, but his hood was pulled down, his braid unhooked. "I spent maybe five months living on a lifeless asteroid in the middle of space. Can you blame me?"

Dimly, it occurred to her that Olkarion might be the first time that Keith had ever _seen_ greenery- at least, in so far as he could remember. She didn't know much about his time with the Blade before they had found him, but from the sound of it, he hadn't left the base much. His mission with Hunk had basically been his first mission as a proper Blade, since he'd only passed the trials a month earlier.

Precisely one month after Ulaz's death.

She never asked, mostly because she didn't have to.

"Nah," leaning over the railing, Pidge grinned, "-even I might want to roll around in the dirt after that long."

Crinkling his nose, Keith frowned. "I don't roll around in the dirt."

"I'm not being _literal_." Pidge told him. "Or did you really think _I_ roll around in dirt?"

"Don't know." Keith said. "Humans are weird."

It took her a moment, but she got it. Lifting her brows, she peered over at him. "Was that a joke?"

"...maybe?" Keith's brow furrowed, like he wasn't sure anymore. "I'm still working on my sense of humor. Hunk thought it was funny."

"I'll give it three stars." She told him.

Arching a brow, Keith peered at her. "...out of?"

"Not telling." Sticking out her tongue, she let out a chuckle at the glare Keith sent her way. "How are you holding up?"

Glower fading, Keith leaned back against the railing, folding his arms in front of him. "I don't know. It's a lot to take in."

Letting out a low hum in agreement, Pidge nodded her head. "Yeah, that's fair. If I found out the Galra cloned me, I'd be pretty weirded out too. But hey, at least maybe you can get your memories back now, right?"

"I don't think it's that simple." Keith told her.

"Well, sure," Pidge frowned, recalling what they had been told, "-Allura might not know how to do it _now_ , but it's not like she can't _learn_."

Frowning, Keith's brow wrinkled. "That's not what I meant."

Blinking, Pidge looked up at him. Seeing a human version of Keith again, even if it was a clone, had really brought one thing home to her- that at some point, she had become used to seeing him like this. Purple, covered in fur.

It was enough that she sometimes caught herself forgetting that he was ever human.

Or well, _more_ human.

"I mean," Keith began, the furrow of his brow deepening, "-I know more than anyone what it's like to not have any memories. It doesn't feel right, subjecting someone else to it."

"Well yeah," Pidge admitted, "-but they're _your_ memories."

"Maybe." Keith admitted. "But if we took them away, what would he have left?"

Opening her mouth to respond, Pidge quickly shut it. It was a good question, and not one that she had given a lot of thought to. While she wasn't entirely sold on this whole thing being some sort of a trap, she hadn't exactly stopped to think about the clone all that much- not a surprise, given that they knew so little about him.

What _would_ he have left?

Memories of being held prisoner by the Galra.

Okay, yeah. That sucked. She wouldn't wish that one anyone, weird clone or not.

"...maybe Allura can duplicate them?" Pidge ventured.

"Maybe." Keith agreed. "I don't know if I'm ready yet, though."

Yeah, that was fair too.

"Besides," Keith added, "-we don't even know for sure if he thinks he's _me_ , yet."

Yeah, that was the other problem.

"Ugh, don't remind me." Pidge sighed. "Imagine getting rescued from a Galra prison, only to find out you're not who you think you are."

"Yeah," Keith said, leveling a blank stare at her, "-can't imagine."

She winced at that. Right, bad choice of words. "Sorry."

Heaving a sigh, Keith shook his head. "Don't be."

They stood in silence, though not an uncomfortable one, for what felt like a good while after that. Looking down over the railing, she could just barely pick out the people milling down below. Catching sight of Matt, she grinned, watching as he paused to help direct a pair of lost aliens, likely refugees.

She tried to imagine what it would be like if it was _Matt_ that had been cloned. Assuming it wasn't some evil puppet, it would still be her brother. It wasn't like she could cast him out just because he wasn't who he thought he was.

Which still wasn't the same of having a clone of _yourself_.

She couldn't even begin to wrap her head around that.

The fact that x still appeared to be human was another wrench in what was already an admittedly complicated situation. If x thought he was Keith, did he know that he was half-Galra? If he _didn't_ think he was Keith, did he know that he was a clone?

Keith was right. It was a lot to process.

A trap would be so much simpler. If he was just some evil clone planted there to cause discord in their ranks, she could deal with that. Just keep him on ice for as long as it took Allura to learn how to extract his memories, and be done with it.

If he wasn't...

...well, she'd probably have to think of a better name for him than _x_.

* * *

Letting out a huff, he glowered up at the ceiling.

It shouldn't come as any surprise to him that he couldn't sleep, not tonight, and yet, he couldn't help but be annoyed by that simple fact. Groaning, he pushed himself up into a sitting position, his tail flicking in annoyance behind him.

He hadn't lied when he'd told Pidge it was a lot to take in.

Running a hand through his hair, he briefly debated braiding it, before he shelved the idea. It was obvious he wasn't going to fall asleep, and the longer he lay in bed, the less likely it got. Pulling himself to his feet, he paused for a moment to pick up his knife, sheathing it at his back, before he left his room.

Ears twitching, he could make out the faint sounds of the other paladins sleeping- or in Hunk's case, not so faint. It was strange- when he'd first arrived here, he never could have imagined this- any of it.

To be honest, he'd never expected to learn _anything_ about his past. He'd fully expected to go the rest of his life without answers as to who he really was, or where he had come from. He'd accepted that- or at least, he thought he had.

Sometimes, he still thought that would be easier.

Knowing that he _wasn't_ some kind of clone didn't make the feeling of being an imposter go away. He wished it did, but it didn't. It helped, yeah- but he got the feeling he'd be holding onto it for awhile, if not for the rest of his life.

Even if Allura could somehow return his memories to him, he didn't think that would change. _He_ had changed- that much was clear to anyone with eyes.

He found himself in the med bay without thinking about it.

He almost considered turning back, but changed his mind. If his feet had brought him here, it was probably for a reason. Letting them carry him inside, he hovered over the healing pod, staring down at the person inside.

Him.

But not.

Carefully resting a hand on the false glass of the pod, Kethe stared down at the face inside. It was different, yes- human, but he could still see himself in it.

Pidge had called him _x_ , an unknown variable.

"Couldn't sleep?"

Turning on his heel, he met Shiro's eyes. "Too much to think about."

"It was a big day." Shiro said simply.

Letting out a faint laugh, Kethe drew away from the pod. "That's one way of putting it."

"You know if you want to talk about it, I'm always available." Shiro told him.

He knew he hadn't meant it that way, but he felt a twinge of guilt at those words. Even without his memories, he could tell that they were more distant than they had been. It wasn't that he was trying to _avoid_ Shiro- maybe at first, sort of, but not any longer. It was just...

...it wasn't the same.

It was the same instinct that had once told him that he was wrong.

He had strong instincts. When he hadn't known anything else, that was the first thing he learned about himself. If the clone really was anything like him...

...he'd know too.

Closing his eyes, Kethe listened to the sound of Shiro's breathing. It was steady, patient. He'd lapsed into silence, but it didn't bother him at all. He was fully ready to wait for as long as he needed- that was the sort of person he was.

He was a good person.

And it hurt that he didn't remember him.

Heaving a sigh, he felt his shoulders slump. Maybe some part of him _did_ want his memories back, but at the same time, he was afraid. Because once he did, he'd know for a fact just how much he had changed- and there was no way that he _hadn't_.

But also... he'd meant what he'd said to Pidge. If getting them back meant putting someone in his same situation, then he didn't want them.

It was his answer, one he'd arrived at after mulling it over for the entire day. It was just... he didn't know if it was an answer that anyone else wanted.

"I never asked, but," opening his eyes, Kethe looked towards Shiro, "-how did you know?"

Shiro's gaze didn't falter. "Who do you think taught you to fly?"

"Hm," he frowned, tilting his head, "-good point."

"When I saw the red lion, I knew right away that _had_ to be you in it." Shiro told him. "I didn't know _how_ , I just knew that it was true. And when you came out..."

"...you realized I was Galra?"

Shiro's expression faltered at that. "Yeah."

"At first," Shiro began, "-at first I thought Haggar had turned you into one, but that didn't sound quite right. Then I remembered your knife."

Letting out a faint hum, he drew it. It had become habit- he'd take the blade he had gone through his trials with when he went on missions, but otherwise, he carried this one. It couldn't transform- or at least, _he_ couldn't transform it, but it didn't feel right to leave it behind.

It felt right.

"Did you know," he began, "-that a Marmoran's life force is linked to their blade?"

"No," Shiro blinked, "-I didn't know that."

"Regris told me." Kethe told him, lightly tracing the sigil with a finger.

"So your mother... she's alive, right?" Shiro asked.

"Yeah," glancing up at him, he gave him a faint smile, "-I guess so."

"Can I...?" Shiro asked, sounding uncertain.

Nodding his head, he passed the knife over to him. Giving him a grateful smile, Shiro accepted it, carefully holding it by its hilt. "Has Kolivan told you anything about her?"

Shaking his head, Kethe frowned. "No. I think he knows who she is, though."

"I could talk to him." Shiro told him. "I think you have a right to know."

It was... tempting, he'd admit. He wasn't sure how his mother would take the fact that he looked Galra now, but he didn't think she'd hate him for it. Beyond that, he had no idea what to expect from her.

He didn't even know how long she had been his life. Didn't know if he was _supposed_ to remember her or not.

He couldn't even imagine what she'd think of there being _two_ of him.

"I think he'll tell me when it's time." Kethe said finally. "But thanks."

"Let me know if you ever change your mind." Shiro said, extending the knife, hilt first. "Here."

Taking his knife from him, Kethe sheathed it once more behind his back. He wondered if the clone would want it when he woke up- if he would demand what he thought was his life back from him. A month ago, he might have even given it to him.

Now he wasn't so sure.

He was still Kethe, proud agent of the Blade of Marmora, liaison to Voltron. Galra. He would _always_ be Kethe.

But he was also Keith Kogane, the red paladin of Voltron, former Galaxy Garrison cadet. Human, of Earth.

"You know that whatever happens," Shiro began, "-you're a part of us now. Nothing will ever change that."

Closing his eyes, Keith felt himself smile.

"I know."


	3. allura side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was not as if she had the knowledge to undo what it was that Haggar had done. Even if she did, she did not know if Keith would let her.
> 
> Sometimes she couldn't help but wish that Oriande were more than a folk tale.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! I actually was almost finished with this earlier this afternoon, but changed my mind at the absolute last minute about a major event in this chapter (the clone waking up) and thus, rewrote the entire latter half of it. So that's fun! But here we are, just a bit delayed! Hope everyone enjoys!

"Princess?"

Well, now this was unexpected.

"Keith," setting aside her work for a moment, she looked up towards the half Galra, "-to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Her words were spoken without the faintest hint of irony. Perhaps it had been difficult to accept at first, but as time passed, she began to gradually grow used to his presence on the castle-ship. In hindsight, it felt a bit silly, really- the fact that she hadn't known did not change the fact that Keith had _always_ been Galra.

If anything, the only thing that had changed was that he looked it now.

It wasn't bad, not truly. The Blade of Marmora... they felt as if they were what the Galra had once been, before the war had begun, or perhaps even longer than that. She'd been born after the comet had struck Daibazaal, so she could not say for certain.

Besides, the alternative could have been much worse.

"I uh, wanted to talk," shifting on his feet, Keith hesitated, "-about the clone."

"Oh yes, of course." Extending a hand, she motioned to the chair across from her. "Please, have a seat."

Frowning, Keith hesitated for a moment longer, before accepting her offer. She watched with faint amusement as his tail twitched out of the way, the tip of it lying in his lap. Lance had told her once that Keith possessed what on Earth would be called a lion's tail, and it was a notion that struck her with great amusement.

Though she would admit, she was rather surprised to learn that there were lions on Earth. _Actual_ lions, that was.

Whatever the case, it was rather appropriate.

Folding her hands in front of her, she studied Keith's features. Unlike the others, she had some prior basis when it came to dealing with the Galra, though Keith's human ancestry could make it a bit tricky at times. He was more expressive than she was used to, more like the Galra of the old, in a way.

"So," she began, giving him an encouraging smile, "-what is it that you wanted to talk about?"

She could understand the timing of it- according to Coran, the healing cycle would complete itself come tomorrow. They had put the past week to good use, discussing how to handle every eventuality, and were more prepared than ever for when the clone woke.

Keith, of course, had been involved in all talks. Shiro was correct- he was the one that this effected the most, so it was unfair to try and leave him out of them. Whatever they decided on, Keith had the final say.

She had spoken with Kolivan, briefing him on the situation. He'd been... rather surprised, she had not failed to notice, but he had understood. For the time being, neither Keith nor Regris would be called away- the latter, as she thought it would be wise to keep someone around who could provide Keith support in ways she knew that the rest of them couldn't.

In truth, she had been slightly apprehensive about Regris at first, but she quickly came to like him. She could see why Keith had chosen to confide in him.

Chewing on his lip, Keith looked as if he was having trouble forming words. As anxious as she was to hear what was on his mind, she did not rush him. This would be the first time Keith had ever come to _her_ about any of his worries, and she was not about to risk chasing him away.

Not just the first time since returning to the Castle of Lions- but the first time _period_. To her, it was a victory.

Even if he _did_ still refuse to call her by name.

"I'm not giving up the red lion."

Blinking, Allura had to admit, she hadn't been expecting that. Mostly because she hadn't even assumed it had been in question.

"Well of course not." Allura stated. " _You_ are its true paladin."

As much as it still deigned to allow her to fly it from time to time, it did not change the fact that Keith was the one it had chosen. They possessed a deep bond between them- so deep, that the red lion was willing to fly into the depths of space just to rescue him.

It had never done that before, even for her father.

Keith, apparently, hadn't expected her answer either, for he blinked, just the same as she had. "Oh, uh- that's- that's good."

Furrowing her brow, Allura could only frown. "Did you truly believe I would make you give it up?"

"No!" Keith blurted out, perhaps a little too quickly. "No, that's not- I just... a human paladin would be better, right?"

Arching a brow, Allura felt her frown deepen. "According to Coran's scans, the clone is _still_ half Galra."

"Well yeah, but he's still more human than me." Keith said.

"Perhaps," Allura admitted, "-and perhaps even a month ago, I might have agreed with you. But now I know for certain that the red lion has chosen you- and twice over, at that."

Dropping his gaze, Keith's eyes disappeared underneath his bangs. It didn't matter- all she had to do was glance down at his tail, watching as the tip of it danced, to know that her words had pleased him.

"Right," masking his own faint smile with a curt nod of his head, Keith jolted to his feet, "-okay. Glad we had this talk."

In spite of herself, Allura could not help but laugh. He could be rather awkward at times, but it was endearing, in its own way.

"Do you think it will be a problem?" Allura asked. "The clone wanting to fly the red lion?"

Keith seemed to consider the question. "I don't know. Maybe."

Fair enough. There were any number of uncertainties surrounding the clone, including whether or not he presumed himself to be the real Keith. While no one liked the idea of shattering such a belief, and therefore, his world view, it was also something that they had all agreed could not persist.

Better to get it out sooner, rather than later.

That said, she did not think any of the other possibilities were better- that he was either some kind of evil clone constructed by Haggar to trick them all, or that the clone was fully aware that he was a clone, and therefore, knew that all the memories he possessed did not belong to him.

It would be enough to drive one mad.

They had considered it briefly, allowing the clone to continue under the delusion that he was Keith- provided, of course, that he did believe it. But though on the surface, it seemed the kindest option, they had all realized that perhaps in practice, it would actually be the cruelest.

If he were to find out the truth later, from someone else, it would come hand in hand with the knowledge that they had been lying to him, all this time. And that, she knew, would be a horrid thing to do.

In which case, better to be honest, even if it hurt.

"Even if he does," Allura began, "-it will not change my answer."

She watched as something in Keith seemed to ease at her words. Throughout all of this, he had held his head up high- perhaps a bit too much, she suspected. He was trying his hardest to do what he considered to be the right thing throughout all of this, when in reality, it would be perfectly alright for him to be a bit selfish.

Had Haggar succeeded, perhaps the clone would be among them right now, an unwitting spy among their ranks. All while the real thing lived out the life of a Galra solider, unwitting to and unable to recall his true identity.

She could not say for certain if that had been her plan- only that it was a possibility.

Whatever the case, truly, they owed Ulaz more thanks than she could have ever imagined. Were it not for his actions, the circumstances in which they found themselves now might have been far more dire.

She only wished she had known that at the time.

* * *

From the scent wafting out of the kitchen alone, she knew that the one in there _must_ be Hunk. With all due respect to Coran, nothing he could concoct could even come close to matching the culinary feats that the yellow paladin had achieved in the Castle's kitchen. While it would seem Alteans had them beat when it came to technological matters, she was willing to concede that perhaps Earth had a superior culinary culture.

Wandering into the kitchen, she found that it was almost brimming with food. Far more than any of them could eat, even with Keith and Regris' voracious Galra appetites factored in.

Hunk didn't even look back as she entered, but he must have heard her come in. "No, you can't have any."

A bit taken aback by his sharp tone, Allura blinked. "I... was not planning on it?"

Flinching at her words, Hunk did look back at her this time, now looking properly sheepish. "Oh uh, didn't think it was you, princess. Thought it was Lance again, trying to sneak a bite."

"Well, I can assure you I am not Lance." Allura told him. "Not unless we have somehow switched bodies in the past varga, and there are hardly any two-headed Vaxien snakes lurking around here."

"Okay, first of all, that's a thing?" Hunk asked, looking vaguely distressed. "And second of all, I actually take back what I said just a second ago. Think you can sample this for me? I'm not sure if the flavor is right."

Smiling, Allura stepped fully into the kitchen. Wordlessly, Hunk lifted up a spoon to her, from which she took a tentative sip. "It tastes wonderful, Hunk."

"Yeah, but you don't think it's too much, right?" Hunk asked. "I'm just- I don't want to overwhelm him with flavor."

Blinking at the question, Allura caught the glint of the preservative storage containers from out of the corner of her eye. Hunk must have dug them out of storage. "Is this all for the clone, then?"

"Yeah, yeah, that's the idea." Hunk told her. "I mean- you heard what Coran said. Those pods can only do so much. Thought I'd just get a bit of a head start at formulating a menu."

"Well I think it is wonderful, Hunk." Allura told him. "Both the food and the idea."

"Aw shucks," rubbing the back of his head, Hunk looked bashful, "-I'm just doing what anyone would do."

"Yes, but not everyone could do it with your same skill." Allura told him.

"I'm just doing it like my mom taught me." Hunk told her. "Her and my big sister, we used to spend every weekend cooking up a storm."

There was a hint of melancholy to his tone, which she could more than understand. The paladins all had family back on Earth that they had left behind, without so much as a warning- the only one who didn't, it seemed, was Keith.

And perhaps Shiro. She was... unsure about him. Like Keith, he never exactly spoke much about his time on Earth.

But for those that did... she could understand what it was like to miss their families. To miss their _home_.

After all, no matter how much she wished it, she could never go back to Altea. She'd had a chance, in the alternate reality- but Keith had been right. It likely wasn't the Altea she remembered.

"Sorry, just... I miss them, you know?" Hunk said.

"I understand." Allura told him. "I miss my family as well."

"Yeah, yeah, I guess you would." Hunk said, shifting awkwardly on his feet. Perhaps she should not have brought her family into this- after all, hers was gone now- she could not see them, no matter how much she wished it.

But Hunk was apparently willing to let it go, instead opting to change the subject. "So uh... the flavor, it's- it's fine, right?"

"It is lovely, Hunk." Allura assured him. "I am certain he will love it."

Nodding his head, Hunk turned back to the pot, giving it a stir. "I mean, I know I shouldn't be so worried. Keith's always loved my cooking, and you know, he's his clone and all, so they probably like, have the same taste buds and stuff, but just... I don't know. I don't want to assume they're the _same_ , you know?"

"I understand." Allura told him. It was something that had been on her mind as well. "It may be difficult, but we can help him become his own person."

"His own person, yeah." Hunk echoed. "It's gotta suck, being a clone."

 _That_ she could agree with. What Haggar had done was monstrous- creating a new being simply to house the memories of an old one. The possibility that she might have been priming him to infiltrate the Castle of Lions, before Ulaz helped Keith escape, only made it even worse.

"It will not be easy." Allura said. "But it would hardly be the first time we have had someone onboard with identity issues."

"Yeah, true." Hunk admitted. "But Keith's like, the _easy run_ compared to this. Except... that kind of makes it sound like his issues are like... not as important as the clone's which isn't true, they're just..."

"-not quite as complex?" Allura finished.

"Yeah," Hunk said, "-that."

"We will manage." Allura said. "Of that, I am certain."

Hunk nodded, turning back to his stew. "I mean... provided he's not evil, I guess. I'm _hoping_ he's not evil. I don't want to fight against Keith even if it _is_ a clone."

"Understandable." Allura noted. If she could, she would keep them from it. "By the way, speaking of Lance, have you seen him?"

"Oh uh," frowning, Hunk tried to recall, "-I think he headed planetside. Something about talking to Ryner about some clothes or something?"

"Clothes?" Allura blinked.

"Yeah, for the clone." Hunk told her. "I mean... we can't just keep him in Galra prison rags, right?"

"Well no, but we _do_ have clothes here, on the Castle." Allura observed.

"...we do?" Hunk asked.

"Yes, we do." Allura told him. "But I suppose having a bit more variety would not hurt."

"Yeah, guess not." Hunk frowned. "So uh... you come here for anything in particular? Oh man, I'm not keeping you from making lunch or anything, am I?"

"Not at all." Allura assured him. "I was simply heading in this direction when I caught the scent of your cooking."

Shoulders slumping in relief, Hunk heaved a sigh. "Okay. Okay, good."

"With that said, I should leave you to it." Allura smiled. "Unless there is anything I can do to help...?"

"No, I'm good." Hunk told her, perhaps a bit too quickly. Which... yes, she would admit, her culinary skills were a bit... lacking, in places. "I'd ask Keith, but he's busy with Pidge today. She and Matt are doing a trial run of the new prosthetic we built for Regris."

"Let us hope that it goes a bit more successfully than the last time." Allura observed. It had taken forever to get the dents out of the green lion's hangar.

"Yeah, that's kind of why I'm here, and not there." Hunk admitted. "But if you need me, just you know, give me a call, and I'll come running."

"I will keep that in mind." Allura told him. "Thank you, Hunk."

"Hey, that's the paladin code right?" Hunk beamed. "Help those in need."

"Yes," Allura smiled, "-that it is."

Dismissing herself, she left the pleasant scents of the kitchen behind. There was still time before the clone was scheduled to come out of the pod, so before that happened, there _was_ one person that she wished to speak with.

* * *

"Are you certain you do not wish to be there?"

"We've discussed this." Shiro began, without even so much as looking at her. "It's better if it's just you and Coran. The last thing we want is to overwhelm him."

Feeling herself sigh, Allura merely frowned. Yes, that _was_ what they had all agreed upon- that when the clone woke, it should be herself and Coran who dealt with him. Depending on how things went, he would then gradually be introduced to the rest of the paladins, a process which would culminate in meeting Keith.

It did not mean that they did not care- to the contrary, rather. The last thing they wanted was to overwhelm him, and having a room full of concerned paladins did seem a tad on the overwhelming side.

But that didn't mean she didn't have her concerns.

Taking a seat next to him, Allura smoothed her skirts. Really, if she had her way, she would be wearing her battle gear, but Coran had convinced her to dig out her formal gown. If the clone were evil, it would only hinder her movements, but if he were not, it would perhaps only serve to put him on edge.

And whatever else was true, he had been held in a Galra prison cell for _months_. The last thing they needed to do was to create a tense environment.

Which was why Shiro should be there, she thought.

Except... perhaps not. If the clone _was_ aware that he was a fake, then Shiro's presence might only serve as a further stressor. Detached as they were, she and Coran would be the best choice.

This time, Shiro did look at her. "Shouldn't you be heading to the med bay? I thought Coran said the cycle would finish in half a varga."

"There is still time." Allura told him, resting her hands in her lap. "No need to rush."

Heaving a sigh, Shiro seemed to sense he wasn't getting out of this. "You want to talk to me."

"I want to talk to you." Allura agreed. "I understand that this situation must be difficult for you, given how close you were to Keith."

"Difficult." Shiro repeated, closing his eyes. "Yes. That's a good word."

Frowning, Allura stared at her own hands. "I will not presume to know the details of your relationship with him, but I do know that it is not what it once was."

For a long moment, Shiro didn't say anything, merely hanging his head. He'd opened his eyes, but he didn't look at her, instead staring straight ahead, as if the wall of the lounge held all the answers to the questions he possessed.

If only.

"Keith... he was like a brother to me." Shiro told her. "He didn't- his father died when he was young, so he didn't have anyone left to look out for him."

She had suspected something like that, but to hear it out loud was another thing entirely.

"I am sorry to hear that." Allura told him. "That could not have been an easy time for him."

"It wasn't." Shiro said, still gazing straight ahead. "We met when he was fourteen. Before that, he'd been passed around from foster home to foster home, but nobody ever kept him for long. Eventually they just kind of decided he was a lost cause."

Giving him a low hum, Allura merely nodded her head. The last thing she wanted to do was interrupt, since it didn't sound as if Shiro was quite finished yet.

She wondered if perhaps it was because they sensed it- something about Keith that did not belong. An alien, quite literally, among them. She understood these _foster homes_ in concept, though there had been nothing comparable on Altea- if the parents of a child died, they were always, without fail, taken in by family.

Not so, it seemed, on Earth.

"I've told you how I used to work for a place called the Galaxy Garrison, right?" Shiro asked, finally looking at her.

"Yes, you mentioned it." Allura said. "Keith and the others trained there."

"He almost didn't get in." Shiro told her. "If I hadn't been the recruiter that they sent around to schools, I don't think he would have even been given the chance. His teacher didn't exactly seem to think much of him. Called him a discipline case."

Allura's face fell. That didn't sound fair at all.

"I guess, to be fair, he _did_ kind of steal my car." Shiro added, almost as an afterthought.

"He-" Allura began, her mouth working, but for a moment, unable to form words, "-he stole your car?"

If she recalled correctly, that was the type of vehicle they used for transport on Earth. She had heard Pidge mention in passing that they could not gain licenses to drive one until they were at least sixteen, which from the sound of it, Keith very much had not been.

"Apparently not his first time either." Shiro noted, almost with a chuckle, one that was almost fond. "Guess it makes the fact that we had to steal the red lion pretty ironic."

Oh, yes. She'd forgotten about that. Yes, she supposed it would.

"I vouched for Keith. Combined with his talent, that got him in." Shiro told her. "Not that it was smooth sailing. By the time I'd escaped from the Galra ship, he'd managed to get himself kicked out of the Garrison somehow. Still don't know how he did it."

Leaning back, Shiro's brows furrowed. "I'll be honest, at first it was just a passing interest. But then I realized that what Keith needed was someone to stick by him, to be there for him. He just... Keith didn't have a lot of people there for him, in life."

"And that was you?" Allura asked.

"That was me." Shiro said, nodding his head. "And Adam."

"Adam?" Allura blinked. She'd not heard that name mentioned before.

"He's my fiancee." Shiro said, almost without thinking. "Or was. We broke it off before Kerberos. He didn't want me to go. Thought it was too dangerous. Which... guess he was right about that, actually."

Merely blinking, Allura took a moment to process this information. She had no idea that Shiro had once been engaged, but she supposed it was difficult to talk about. She felt grateful that he was willing to do so now, and to her at that.

"Do you miss it?" Allura asked.

Shiro blinked, frowning. "Adam?"

Shaking her head, Allura felt that went without saying. "Keith."

"I," opening his mouth, Shiro quickly shut it, "-sometimes."

Hanging his head, Shiro heaved a sigh. "Don't get me wrong. Nothing makes me happier than knowing that Keith is alive, that he's safe. But it's just..."

"...complicated?" Allura finished.

"Yeah." Shiro admitted. "That."

"I think I understand." Allura said. "You miss what you had."

"Yeah," glancing up at her, there was a frankness in Shiro's eyes, "-I do."

"It doesn't mean I don't _like_ Keith. Or well, I guess he'd be _Kethe_ in this context." Shiro frowned, correcting himself. "I- he's still my brother. That hasn't changed. I promised that I would never give up on him, that I would be there for him, and that promise still applies."

Even if only one of them remembered it, she sensed.

Except now there _was_ one who remembered it- only, it wasn't the person he had made the promise to.

"But now there is the clone."

"Now there's the clone." Shiro agreed. "So yeah. It complicates things."

Carefully studying him, Allura's brows furrowed. She certainly could understand how this put him in a rather unique position. From the sound of it, he had once been Keith's sole support system- and now, when he was no longer needed to fill that role, left something empty behind. And with the clone's appearance, and the hanging possibility that it might believe himself to be the real Keith, it did, indeed, complicate things.

Even if he _didn't_ , it still complicated things.

It was not as if she had the knowledge to undo what it was that Haggar had done. Even if she did, she did not know if Keith would let her.

Sometimes she couldn't help but wish that Oriande were more than a folk tale.

"Anyways," getting to his feet, Shiro gave her a strained smile, "-you should head down to the med bay. I should probably find Keith."

Nodding her head, Allura rose to her feet. "Last I checked, he was with Regris. I believe Pidge and Matt are doing a trial run of a new prosthetic today."

Shiro blinked at that. "No Hunk? Thought he was helping with that."

"Hunk has shut himself in the kitchen since this morning." Allura told him. "I believe he said something about creating a special menu with the clone's recovery in mind."

"That sounds like Hunk." Shiro observed, managing a faint smile. "Guess that just leaves Lance, then."

"I believe he is paying Ryner a visit." Allura told him, a slight frown on her face. "Something to do with clothes?"

Opening his mouth to reply, he did not so much as get a chance. Ears twitching at the sound of the alarm, she turned on her heel, brow furrowing. They could not possibly be receiving a distress signal, not now of all times, could they?

They would respond to it if they had to, of course, but the timing was... well, less then ideal, if she was perfectly honest.

On the lounge's view screen, Coran's image flickered to life. "Uh, princess? We _might_ have a small bit of a problem."

Oh dear. She knew that tone. It was the one he used whenever he was making a considerable understatement.

"Coran?" Allura blinked. "I thought you were checking on the clone."

"Uh yes, about that," Coran frowned- and she couldn't help but notice that his surroundings appeared to be those of the med bay, "-it would seem that the pod had the teeniest bit of a calibration error."

"What are you saying, Coran?" Allura asked, exchanging a worried glance with Shiro.

"Did something go wrong with the healing process?" Shiro asked. "Is he-?"

"No, no, that's fine, he's fine." Coran told them. "It's just... he's ah, not actually here."

"He's not," Shiro began, "-wait, Coran, are you saying that the clone is _missing_?"

"...yes. That is what I'm saying exactly." Coran admitted. "On the plus side, since he seems to be moving around, it would seem the pod did its job just fine!"

Missing. The clone was _missing_.

She knew that the pods _could_ have calibration issues, though they were rare. Likely, it was either something about the clone's hybrid physiology that had thrown it off, or perhaps it simply had something to do with the fact that the clone was, well, a _clone_.

It wasn't as if they'd ever had one in the pods before. It had been outlawed, back on Altea.

Tensing, Shiro's brow furrowed. This was not a development any of them had expected. "Alright. You just stay where you are. Princess, is the Castle locked down?"

Nodding her head, she couldn't help but feel a cold knot of dread rise in the pit of her stomach. "I- yes, it should be."

"Double check." Shiro instructed her. "We don't want him slipping out onto Olkarion."

She could not agree more. With a wave of her hand, she brought up a display screen, quickly double checking the settings. Just in case, she locked down both the main hangar, as well as the red lion's hangar- though she doubted the clone would be able to fly the latter.

It never hurt to be sure.

"Coran, I want you to gather everyone on the med bay. Matt and Regris included." Shiro instructed. "Do we know if Lance is back yet?"

"No, I do not believe so." Allura told him. "At least, there's no record of his entry code being used."

"Right," nodding his head, Shiro looked up at Coran's image, "-contact Lance. Tell him stay where he is for now. The last thing we want is for the clone to slip out when he returns."

"Right, I'll see to it." Coran said. "Do you think he's, ah...?"

 _Evil_ , she sensed Coran wanted to say.

"No, nobody is saying that." Shiro said, his voice firm. "I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation for this. For all we know, he might be panicking."

"Either way, we should try to find him as soon as possible." Allura said. Even if he wasn't some kind of puppet, there was still the chance he might hurt himself, or worsen his condition somehow. "Coran, have you tried scanning for his biorhythm?"

"I tried that, but I'm afraid it's just giving me an error." Coran informed her. "I'm afraid that since his signature is so close to Keith's, it's likely interfering with the system."

Right, of course. Since when were things _ever_ that simple?

Shiro just heaved another sigh, running a hand through his forelock. He was doubtlessly thinking the same thing she was.

"Got it." Shiro said. "We're headed your way."

Satisfied with that, the view screen turned dark- Coran had doubtlessly moved on to contacting the other paladins. Now that the immediacy of the call was done, she felt her shoulders slump, only a bit of her held tension escaping.

"This is not what we planned on at all."

Shiro had the audacity to _laugh_ , as if this somehow were not a serious situation. "Guess you could say that."

"And what, pray tell, is so funny?" Allura asked. "We have an intruder on the castle-ship, one that we cannot seem to _find_."

 _Intruder_ was, perhaps a bit harsh, but under the circumstances... well, it fit.

"It's just- it seems like the kind of thing Keith would do." Shiro admitted.

Frowning, Allura's brows knit together. "I do not suppose you know where to _find_ him, then?"

"No," Shiro admitted, "-I don't."

Right. Of course not.

Heaving a sigh of her own, Allura had to admit- out of all the possible things she thought that could have gone wrong, this _hadn't_ been one of them. She hoped Shiro was right, and the clone was simply panicking, because the alternative wasn't pretty.

Even if none of Coran's scans had lead them to believe that there was anything to worry about. Any abnormalities in the clone's brain scans were due to either the cloning process, or to the severe, persistent malnutrition he'd experienced, the latter of which the pod would have likely already fixed.

And yet, in spite of Shiro's reassurances, she couldn't help but worry.

What if this _had_ all been part of some kind of trap?

Granted, it didn't make much sense. While the healing pod could bring him out of the danger zone, the clone was hardly in fighting condition. It would have made more sense to use him to attempt to sow discord amongst the paladins, rather than to lead them on a wild chase throughout the castle-ship.

Whatever the case, they had to _find_ him first.

And that, she thought, might be the real trick of it.


	4. clone side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His eyes seemed dim, soulless- not a surprise. He was a clone, so he probably didn't have one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's here! The next chapter! He's here! The clone! Two Keiths for the price of one! What a deal! With that said, after this chapter, there will be another break between updates as I work out my approach for the forthcoming chapters. We are still back in season four territory, and there is still plenty of stuff from that season I want to touch on, as well as dealing with the overall plot of the fic itself, so gotta work out just how best to do all that!
> 
> So until next time~!

Keith had run away before.

Not while he had been at the Garrison. Not even while he'd known him. It was just something he knew from reading over his file. He'd never asked Keith about it, and Keith had never spoken to him about it.

He'd been twelve. He'd left school that day, like he always did, but he never turned up at the foster home he was living at at the time. They didn't even report it until the next day, when he hadn't shown up for school, and Shiro was pretty sure it was because it had taken them that long to realize that he was missing. It was long enough to give Keith a head start- when they found him, a week later, he'd already crossed into the next state.

According to the police report, he'd been trying to go home.

It was why Shiro found himself in the red lion's hangar. Even though Allura had sealed it off, it was probably the closest thing Keith had to a home on the Castle of Lions. Or at least, it had been- now, the whole Castle was his home.

But it hadn't been, once.

And the Keith he was looking for was not Keith, not really- it was his clone. One that had his memories, to be sure- but likely, also his issues. His walls.

But he wasn't in the red lion's hangar. He'd checked every inch of it, even recruiting one of the mice to help him. They had all split up in search of Keith's clone- everyone except for Keith, that was, who was to remain on standby in the med bay.

The two of them running into each other by happenstance was the _last_ thing that needed to happen right now. The clone was already badly panicked as it was, there was no point in making things even worse.

He wasn't in the red lion, either. He'd checked there too. It had let him in without a protest, but he hadn't found a trace of the clone.

He'd check Keith's room, but he knew Pidge was already checking the residential floors. It probably would have been the first place she'd checked, so if she hadn't reported back yet, it was safe to say that she hadn't found anything. Hunk had already checked the kitchen- there was a chance he might have been so starved, that he literally wasn't thinking of anything else other than raiding it.

But he wasn't there, and all the food Hunk had left behind was untouched. So no, this wasn't just some kitchen raid.

Heaving a sigh, Shiro ran a hand through his forelock. He tried to think where Keith, the Keith he'd known, might go- but ended up drawing a blank. Outside of the red lion's hangar, he couldn't think of a single place.

The training deck, maybe- except not under these circumstances.

He could think of a few places where _Kethe_ might hide- but all of them required the added mobility his transformation had given him to access. The first time he'd found him on the catwalk high above the red lion's hangar, he'd nearly had a heart attack, but Kethe had made it back down in a way that was nearly effortless.

A malnourished clone probably wouldn't be able to do that.

"Any luck?"

Nearly jumping out of his skin, Shiro snapped his attention towards Matt. Heaving a sigh, his shoulders slumped. "You nearly gave me a heart attack."

"I've been improving my stealth skills lately." Matt grinned.

"Picking up some pointers from Keith?" Shiro asked.

"Could be natural talent." Matt tried to say- but all it took was a pointed look for him to cave. "Yeah, okay, Keith's been teaching me. It's pretty useful for rebel work. Most of our plans involve explosions."

Letting out a low hum, Shiro nodded his head. "He can be a pretty good teacher."

"A bit Spartan," Matt noted, "-but I've read up on how most Galra are instructed, so compared to that, he's practically a saint."

"Don't suppose you read anything about where one might hide." Shiro ventured.

Holding up his hands, Matt shook his head. "Nope, can't help you there. He wasn't on the bridge though, or in the lounge. Take it you haven't had any luck?"

"None." Shiro told him. "I should be able to find him. I _know_ Keith."

"Yeah, but this isn't Keith." Matt told him. "I mean... not exactly."

He gave Matt a weak smile. He got why people were worried, but he did know that. "I know."

Chewing on his lip, Matt looked like he wanted to say something. "You're okay, right?"

"I'm fine." Shiro told him. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Arching a brow, Matt eyed him. "Because your little brother doesn't remember who you are."

Shiro flinched. Plenty of people had expressed their concern, but none of them had done it that _bluntly_. But when he put it like that... yeah, he couldn't exactly deny it.

"I get jealous, sometimes." Shiro admitted. "When I see him with Regris."

"Hey, I get it." Matt told him. "If Pidge forgot about me, I'd probably feel the same way. But you know you can't... you can't use the clone to replace him, right?"

Jerking his head up, Shiro's eyes went wide. Had people really thought he might...?

"No." Shiro said firmly. "Trust me, I'm not planning on doing that."

Frowning, Matt looked like he wasn't quite convinced. "Good. Because he's not Keith."

"I know." Shiro repeated. "Trust me, I know that better than anyone. When he saw me back at the prison... it was like he was looking at a ghost. Afraid."

He had been afraid. _Terrified_ , in fact. He'd panicked so viscerally, that he had passed out. He kept playing it over in his head, hoping that it would give him some sort of clue. But there was no telling what the Galra had done to him, what sort of tactics they might have used- he didn't even know why they were holding the clone there, so far away from any major Galra strongholds.

He would have thought that Haggar would have wanted to keep him closer.

Everything he knew about her suggested that. She played chess- at least, in the metaphorical sense, she did. The druids were her main pawns, but they weren't her only ones- she had others. He knew- he'd been one, once.

So it was hard to imagine that she would have just discarded a pawn like that. Staring down at his right hand, his brow furrowed, watching as his fingers balled into a fist. Leaving him in that condition... Hunk was right, it was like he had been thrown out.

Even if Keith had managed to escape before she could enact her plan, it still didn't make sense. While it wasn't like Haggar had a direct source of information, he was pretty sure she'd be able to figure out that Keith hadn't worked his way back to them. In truth, it had taken upwards of five months to find him, even after he'd been freed, which would have left her plenty of time to try and use the clone to infiltrate them.

But she hadn't. She'd left it to rot in a cell instead. The only reason he could think of for that was if he had somehow been a failure.

"Shiro?"

Matt's voice caused him to blink, jerking his chin up to look at him. "Sorry, just thinking."

"You want to share with the class?" Matt asked.

Smiling a little at the phrasing, Shiro gave him a mirthless smile. "It doesn't make sense."

"That could apply to a lot of things, but I'll bite. What doesn't make sense?" Matt asked.

"Haggar." Shiro told her. "Her plan. Why abandon the clone? She could have used him to infiltrate us, but she didn't even try."

Folding his arms in front of him, Matt tilted his head. "Hm. Good point. Keith was with the Blade of Marmora for how long?"

"About five months." Shiro told him. "If I hadn't recalled how I escaped, it could have been even longer."

"Maybe using the clone to infiltrate Voltron wasn't her plan?" Matt ventured.

"Maybe." Shiro admitted.

Even if it wasn't, something still didn't sit right with him about it. Why bother extracting the memories? Was it because she simply thought it was easier to manipulate the mind of an empty vessel, and wanted to do away with them? Why not just erase them? Why go through the trouble of creating a clone and giving them Keith's memories, if she wasn't going to use them somehow?

Unless...

Memories.

Something- something about that word was niggling at him now. Frowning, he mulled it over, trying to figure out what it was. Sendak's face flickered to mind, leaving him baffled- before he connected the dots.

Standing up straight, he dropped his arms to his side. "I think... I think I might know where the clone is."

"Uh," Matt blinked, "-you do?"

"I- maybe." Shiro told him. "I'm not sure. Just- just go get Allura. Tell her to meet me down where we kept Sendak."

"...the Galra Commander whose arm Pidge cut off?" Matt asked. "Sure, but why?"

"Because," Shiro said, "-I think the clone knows."

* * *

 

The pod room was so quiet, he almost thought he'd been wrong.

But then he remembered how light Keith had always been on his feet, even before he'd gotten stealth training from an elite network of Galra spies. It had been a survival skill for him then, and it was a survival skill for him now- just in a totally different context. Even if the clone wasn't Keith, it was still possible he knew a few of his old tricks.

Entirely possible, actually.

But he could be pretty quiet too.

Slowly creeping into the room, he let his eyes adjust. He couldn't see quite as well in the dark as Keith could- in hindsight, he didn't know why he'd never questioned how good Keith's night vision was. Maybe he'd just thought the kid had gone through enough in his life, that he didn't need another adult pointing out something weird about him.

He nearly called out Keith's name, before he stopped himself. That was exactly the kind of thing that had resulted in the clone's earlier panic attack.

It hadn't been the sight of his face that had caused it- it had been what he said. Keith's name, applied to him.

He should have gone with his gut instinct.

He found the clone curled up in a corner of the pod room, like he was trying to hide himself. With a jolt, it reminded him of how he'd found him, face hidden under long, stringy hair. It was matted, badly, which came as no real surprise. He knew from experience that Keith's hair was fine and tangled easily, so it was no surprise it was the same for his clone.

No sooner than had he stepped into the clone's line of vision, did they flinch, drawing further inwards. Out of the corner of his eye, he could just make out Allura's arrival, Coran in tow- but he held up a hand, silently telling her to stay where she was.

She understood, giving him a curt nod. Lingering by the entrance to the pod room, she didn't dare come any further.

Right. So he'd found the clone. Now for the hard part.

First things first- less towering. Crouching down in front of him, he made sure to give the clone space- staying at an arms length from him. Though he'd crammed himself pretty good in the corner, he still somehow managed to inch his body further backwards, like he was still too close for his tastes.

Keeping his voice soft, Shiro did his best to smile. "Hey."

The clone stirred, but didn't look up.

"You know who I am, right?" Shiro asked.

It probably wasn't a question the clone had been expecting, enough to cause him to peek out, one eye surfacing from behind his mass of hair. It was hard to tell in the dim light of the pod room, but while it didn't appear quite as sunken as it had been, there were still visible bags underneath it.

It also didn't quite catch the light just right.

For a minute, he didn't think the clone would say anything, before he finally spoke. "Takashi Shirogane. You're a pilot."

The distance that the clone put in his words was enough to confirm his theory. Nodding his head, Shiro let out a low hum. "You left out the part where I'm the black paladin."

Unexpectedly, or perhaps not so unexpectedly, the clone let out a snort. " _That's_ what bothers you?"

"Just wanted to make sure." Shiro told him. "Do you know where you are?"

Frowning, both of the clone's eyes emerged from behind his mess of bangs. The furrow of his brow was the same one Keith got whenever he was faced with something he didn't quite understand. "The Castle of Lions."

Nodding his head, Shiro let out another hum. "You've been a pod for a full movement. Coran said you were in pretty bad shape."

Narrowing his eyes, the clone tugged at the hem of his sleeves. By now, he was probably noticing the inconsistencies between the memories he'd been given, and how he was acting, and was trying to puzzle it out. Keith's memories didn't _necessarily_ mean that he had Keith's personality, but that was all he had to go on for the moment.

"Can I ask you a question?" Shiro asked.

"You've already asked me two." The clone answered, the dryness of his tone all Keith. "Well, three."

"Can I ask you five?" Shiro asked.

"Including that one?" The clone asked back. His voice was a bit raspy- from disuse, probably. Otherwise, it was a perfect match for Keith's.

"Mm-hm." Shiro merely said.

The clone seemed to frown, studying him with marked caution. Guarded. His facial expressions were a near mirror of Keith's, and not just because they had the same face. "Fine."

"What's your name?"

Jerking his head up, it was clear that it was an action the clone quickly had cause to regret. He tipped over a bit, dizzy, before catching himself, using his hands to stabilize himself. Shiro winced inwardly, half worried that he might just snap his wrists doing it, given how thin they were. He _really_ needed that meal plan Hunk had charted out.

Once steady, the clone stared at him, suspiciously. Eyes searching his face, Shiro made sure to keep it as relaxed as possible. The clone, on the other hand, was tensed, coiled up like a snake- before all at once, he seemed to deflate.

"I don't- I have one, but it's not... it's not _mine_."

Shiro had to fight to keep himself from deflating at the words. Because they sounded so... raspy or not, the clone still had Keith's voice. He'd heard Keith give up before, but he'd never heard him sound so _defeated_.

Because the clone knew. All along, he knew.

That was why Haggar had thrown it away. Because she couldn't use him as a pawn, not when he knew, by some base instinct, that the memories it held weren't their own.

The clone had ceased looking at him. His eyes were closed, in fact. Like he was prepared to accept whatever his confession would bring him, now that it was out in the open. That he had Keith's voice, that he had Keith's face, but he _wasn't_ Keith.

God, Shiro wanted to hug him.

But that would probably be a bad idea, so he decided against it. Another time, maybe. He definitely could use one.

"Do you have anything you want to be called by?"

Blinking, the clone looked up at him, his expression open with confusion. "I'm- don't you get it?"

"You're a clone." Shiro stated plainly. "Haggar created you."

The clone flinched, but didn't look away this time. "Right, so- so you should just take what's in my head and then shoot me out of the nearest airlock or something. Put me back where you found me. Doesn't matter. Point is, I'm not- I _can't_ be who you're looking for."

Oh. He didn't know they had already found Keith. Right, that made sense.

"We're not going to do that." Shiro told him. "Any of that."

Frowning, the clone didn't seem to buy that. "I can't help you find-"

"You don't need to." Shiro cut him off. "I know exactly where Keith is. He's up in the med bay, probably pacing."

The frank admission took the clone by surprise. It was enough to cause him to uncurl himself a bit, looking a little less like a ball and more like a human. Just a depressingly malnourished one. Coran was right, they really did have their work cut out for them.

The clone's stomach, at least, clearly agreed. Opening his mouth to say something, he didn't get the chance, the sound of his own stomach growling cutting him off. Cheeks tinting a deep pink, he ducked his head, obscuring his features behind his bangs.

Shiro just let out a chuckle. "Sounds like you're hungry."

Rising to his feet, he extended his human hand to the clone. "Come on. I think Hunk's cooked up a special menu just for you."

Opening his mouth, the clone just as quickly shut it. Brows knitting together, he stared up at him, clearly puzzled by the fact that he was not getting the reaction that he was expecting to. If that was an act, then it was a damn good one.

Though he hesitated at first, he slowly took his hand. Allowing Shiro to haul him to his feet, the clone stumbled a bit, before finding his footing. He was the same height as Keith had been when he'd been captured, he dimly noted- he got the feeling Lance would be pretty pleased about that.

Right. Lance. He was still outside the ship. They should probably let him back in now.

Glancing down at the prison rags that the clone still wore, Shiro frowned. Now that his eyes had adjusted to the dark, it was pretty obvious that the clone was filthy- probably hadn't had a shower in months.

He still remembered his first shower after being freed from the Galra. Even with the pitiful water pressure he'd gotten in Keith's shack, it still felt like heaven. It had made him feel _human_ , something he hadn't felt like in months.

It struck him with a jolt, then, that the clone had probably never worn anything else in his life but prison rags. That he probably had memories _of_ taking a shower, but had never actually experienced it himself. That was... disturbing, on many levels, but at least they could take the first steps towards correcting it.

"Unless you'd like a chance to clean up first...?" Shiro ventured.

Staring at him blankly, the clone frowned. "Are you telling me I stink."

Shiro didn't drop his gaze. Frankness for frankness. "Yes."

Still looking uncertain, the clone used his free hand to fiddle with the hem of his shirt. Heaving a sigh, Shiro fought the urge to rest a hand on his shoulder, unsure how he would take the gesture.

"Everyone here knows what you are." Shiro stated, choosing to go the frank route. "Nobody is going to hold it against you. Haggar experimented on me too."

The clone didn't flinch, not this time. "She didn't _create_ you."

"Hey, kids can't choose their parents." Shiro merely remarked, giving him a casual shrug.

The clone nearly choked.

"Oh god," they half-whispered, probably not fully aware he was speaking out loud, "-your jokes really _are_ that bad."

* * *

So hot water really was that hot.

His memories told him as much, but they weren't really _his_ memories, so like everything else, he couldn't trust them. The only things he could trust were what he experienced for himself, and that the face in the mirror wasn't his.

He had never met Keith Kogane, but he knew nearly everything about him. Staring at his reflection, he furrowed his brow, watching it play out on a face that belonged to a stranger. His entire being belonged to that stranger- there was nothing he could really call his own. _He_ didn't exist.

Yet the black paladin had asked what _his_ name was.

He didn't have an answer to give him. He'd never given it any thought. All he knew was that he wasn't Keith Kogane, no matter how much the memories in his head tried to tell him otherwise. At first, he honestly thought it was because he was crazy- that maybe they _were_ his memories, and that there was just something wrong with him.

But no. They weren't.

 _He_ hadn't even existed up until a few months ago. He was pretty positive about that. He didn't know how long it had been- time kind of all blurred together. He hadn't dared ask the black paladin- hadn't dared ask him anything, really. He'd just followed behind him, past the Altean princess and her advisor- _Allura_ and _Coran_ , his not-memories informed him- up to the residential decks, where he made good on his promise.

He was just as weird as his not-memories told him.

Especially since they had the _real_ Keith Kogane here, on the ship. The thought gnawed away at him, so he tried not to think about it. He couldn't understand what the black paladin's motivations were, why he was doing any of this.

He'd never been treated like a _person_ before.

At least, not since Haggar had deemed him a failure. What good was he if he didn't believe that he himself was the real Keith? She had no use for a clone with _doubts_. But she couldn't just kill him either, so there he languished, in that cell, for who knew how long.

Now he was free- and that was truly something he couldn't wrap his head around. _Freedom_ was never something he had experienced, although his not-memories instantly supplied him with contradictions. The sensation of desert wind rushing through his hair, the vastness of the open night sky... but none of that was _his_.

So his first taste of it, and he had panicked. _Run_.

He didn't really have a _plan_. He'd been thinking of maybe trying to get the memories out of his head, but when he'd gotten down to the room from his not-memories, he realized he didn't know how to do that. Having exhausted himself, he simply curled up and hid, hoping that no one would find him.

But someone had, and now he was here. Clean, for probably the first time in his life. It felt as good as his not-memories told him it would.

His hair clung to his body, damp. It was still matted and tangled, but he couldn't bring himself to care. If he cut it all off, maybe he'd look a little less like the stranger whose face he was borrowing, but he couldn't bring himself to do that. It had gotten long enough that it proved some measure of difference anyways.

There were bags under his eyes that his not-memories didn't have. His eyes seemed dim, soulless- not a surprise. He was a clone, so he probably didn't have one.

But it still wasn't _his_ face. He just... he didn't know what that would look like. It wasn't like he had any other existence before this. He didn't.

He hadn't been made as a person, just as a tool. And he'd failed to even be _that_. He wasn't useful to anyone. Not that he wanted to be- his not-memories recoiled at the idea of being used by the Galra Empire, and so did he, for that matter. It was one area where they fell into complete agreement.

But now he was here, on the Castle of Lions, being treated like something he was markedly _not_. Given the chance to clean himself, given actual clothes, with the promise of food. It was almost too much for him.

(He didn't know kindness either. It just taunted him from the depths of his not-memories.)

He didn't even know what to do with all these clothes arranged neatly on the bed. There were so many, so many different kinds, that he just gave up on choosing and just grabbed the first ones on the stack- some kind of white and orange tunic and a pair of deep blue leggings. They fit, sort of- he was just thin enough that the tunic kind of hung off of him in places.

He felt... he didn't know. He didn't have a name to put to this emotion. At least, not anything he'd experienced for himself.

Staring at the door, he chewed on his lip. Hovering just in front of it, he hesitantly reached out a hand towards the door panel, before he froze. What if it wouldn't unlock when he touched it? What if he'd been locked in here? What if everything the black paladin had said had been a farce, to get him to trust him, so that they could lock him up again.

Swallowing, he hesitated. Of course it had to be. His not-memories told him just how important the black paladin and Keith Kogane were to each other, and here he was, an interloper wearing the latter's face. Created by the Galra. By _Haggar_.

That anyone would trust him, much less _want_ him was too good to be true.

Drawing in a long breath, he grit his teeth, shoving his hand against the door panel. Fully expecting it to flash red, he instead found himself freezing, as it flashed green, opening up to reveal the hallway, lined with the too bright lights of the castle-ship. Shutting his eyes on instinct, he sucked in a breath, before daring to peek.

The door really was open.

Shifting on his feet, he frowned, brows furrowing. Peeking out, he nearly leapt out of his skin as his eyes locked almost instantly with those of another person's- the blue paladin, _Lance_ , his not-memories supplied.

At least he looked just as surprised by him. As seconds ticked by, all he did was stare at him, open-mouthed.

Before he shut it, lips forming instead into a scowl. Instantly, he felt himself wince, bracing himself for whatever was about to happen, his not-memories supplying him with unpleasant scenarios from a past that wasn't his own.

"Did you even _try_ to dry your hair?"

Blinking, he looked up, staring in puzzlement at the blue paladin. His hair? Reaching up a hand, he touched it, the damp lock dripping water onto his hand. "Does... does it matter?"

Squinting at him, the blue paladin crinkled his nose in disgust. "Uh, yeah? Your hair's already enough of a mess as it is, you should _at least_ take the time to towel dry it."

Staring blankly at him, he dropped his hand. "It's just hair. It'll dry on its own."

Letting out an indignant squawk, Lance made a face. "Un-uh, not gonna have that. Come on."

Without another word, Lance spun him around, marching him back into the room. If it weren't for the fact that he was so stunned, he probably would have recoiled at the touch, but as it was, he didn't have the time to. Watching with a frown as Lance marched into the bathroom, making another noise of disgust as he picked up the towel he'd left on the ground, he promptly marched back out.

"And this!" Holding up the towel, Lance glowered at him. "What were you, raised in a barn!?"

Ducking his head, he bit his lip, not knowing what to say to that. He hadn't been _raised_ anywhere. He just... he just _was_.

To his credit, Lance seemed to realize his mistake as soon as he said it. "I- sorry man, I didn't mean that. Just- let's just dry your hair and go see Hunk in the kitchen, okay?"

He tried not to dwell on the surreal fact that someone was actually bothering to _apologize_ to him. It didn't feel like he should be worth the trouble. "I can do it myself."

Lifting his brows, Lance glanced down at him. "Yeah?"

Glancing up at him, his lips tightened in a frown. "I'm not helpless."

Lance looked vaguely unconvinced, but nevertheless, tossed the towel towards him. Catching it, he stared at him for a long moment, before he dried off his hair as much as he could, hoping it would be enough to satisfy him. His not-memories told him as much, but he guessed the blue paladin really was a stickler about hair.

"There," he looked up at him, "-better?"

"Well, it's not dripping wet, at least." Lance observed. "So yeah, better."

Chucking the towel on the bed, ignoring Lance's squawk of protest, he shifted on his feet. This was easier for him to deal with than the black paladin's kindness, which was... baffling, still. He didn't know why they seemed to trust him, not when he'd been made as a tool to be used against them.

They all had to know it. So why were they just... ignoring it?

Lance just looked at him oddly, visibly scanning his face. Ducking his head again, he hid it behind his bangs, knowing just what he saw when he looked at it. "Right, let's just... let's just get you to Hunk."

Slowly nodding, he fell into step behind him, trying to pretend he couldn't hear what Lance was muttering underneath his breath. That this was weird- that _he_ was weird. It wasn't- he wasn't wrong, he knew that, but it still bothered him.

He felt like it shouldn't. He was already getting way more than he could have asked for. Being treated like a person for the first time in his (admittedly short) life? It was so overwhelming, that all he could do was wait for it to end.

(His not-memories told him these things always ended. He believed them.)

He caught the scent of food long before they entered the kitchen. Dimly, it occurred to him that he'd never eaten anything other than the gruel they fed prisoners- and not much of it, at that. Half of his borrowed blood came from the Galra, making him a halfbreed- and even worse, he was a _clone_.

Suffice to say, they hadn't exactly thought much of him.

He didn't dare breech the topic. If _he_ was half-Galra, it could only mean that so was the real Keith Kogane. He wasn't so bitter that he would try to ruin things for him by revealing that, even if he couldn't figure out just what his feelings were towards the one whose face he shared.

His not-memories told him that the yellow paladin- _Hunk_ \- was a great cook. His stomach was telling him he was starving.

He trusted both of them.

"Hunk, my buddy, my good man," Lance begun, "-your guest of honor is here."

He bristled a little at the flippant term, unsure if Lance was making fun of him or not. He was pretty sure his brain was more or less hardwired the same way Keith's was, so he guess he had him to blame for that.

Hunk, on the other hand, was a lot more obvious.

Beaming, the yellow paladin turned on his heel, face lighting up at the sight of him. If he didn't know what to make of being treated with kindness, or being fussed over, then he definitely didn't know what to make of the idea that someone could actually be _happy_ to see him.

"Oh, hey!" He almost seemed to radiate sunlight, and he had to blink, remind himself that the yellow paladin was not, in fact, glowing. "Take a seat, I'm almost done heating it up."

Frowning, he glanced towards the row of chairs with hesitation. Gaze flickering over towards Lance, he caught it, just shrugging his shoulders. Uncertain what to do with that, he simply opted for taking the offered chair.

"So Coran says the healing pod should have essentially rebooted your system," Hunk began, "-but I still thought we should start you off with something light."

What was set down in front of him was a bowl of... soup, he thought. The broth was clear, and there were some kind of noodles in it, but it didn't have any kind of heavy scent. Whatever it was, it was food, and he was starving.

All he wanted to do was to dig in, but seeing his rush, Hunk reached out a hand to stop him. There was no malevolence in the action, so it just made him grumble, glowering up at the yellow paladin.

"Whoa, hey," Hunk said, "-I get it, you're hungry, but if you eat that fast, you'll make yourself sick."

Pursing his lips, he frowned, but slowly nodded his head. He was probably right. Fighting against the urge to do otherwise, he took slow, measured sips of the soup. It was better than anything he'd ever tasted, which wasn't exactly saying much.

He tried to pretend he didn't notice the way Lance and Hunk were watching him as he ate. He couldn't blame them. He was wearing the face of their fellow paladin, but wasn't. If they hadn't already found the real one, he didn't know if they'd even believe him, or if they'd just think he was crazy, that his imprisonment had messed with his head.

It had, but not like that.

Pity, he decided. That was why they were treating him like this. They were taking pity on him. It was finally an answer that made some sense. Eventually, their pity would run out, and he'd probably be dumped somewhere, but he at least didn't think they'd take away his freedom now that they had given it to him.

He hoped not.

He couldn't even finish the soup. He was still hungry, but if he ate any more, he got the feeling it'd just come back up. Pushing the half-finished bowl away, he hoped that Hunk didn't take it the wrong way. They were being so nice to him, even if it was out of pity, that he didn't want to seem like he didn't appreciate it.

He did.

Even if it was so much more than he deserved.

"That's all?" Hunk asked.

Nodding his head, he didn't dare look up at him.

Letting out a low hum, Hunk just shrugged. "You're the one who knows your stomach best. If you get hungry again, there's more where that came from."

"I- thanks." He told him. "You didn't- you don't need to do this for me."

Hunk frowned, exchanging a glance with Lance, before looking back at him. "I mean... we kind of do? We couldn't just leave you there."

"Yeah," Lance chimed in, "-you know, paladin code and all."

_"The Paladin Code states we help_ _**all** _ _those in need."_

Gritting his teeth against the unbidden not-memory, he tried to force back the sound of the Altean princess' voice. She had barely spoken with him, but he wondered how she felt, having a product of the Galra Empire on her ship. It felt like he was violating something, knowing how much she had lost to them.

"Yeah," not looking up at them, he didn't dare to, "-I know."

He could sense them looking at each other, a heavy tension in the air, like neither of them quite knew what to say to that. Chewing on his lip, he felt the sudden urge to retreat, but he wasn't sure how they'd take it, so he just stayed rooted to his chair. He knew he'd already made a bad impression by choosing to run away, he didn't want to risk making things worse.

"So... you have Keith's memories, huh?" Lance ventured the question.

Still not looking up, he wordlessly nodded his head.

"Huh." Lance frowned. "So- did he like, really not remember me from the Garrison? You know, back when we rescued Shiro together?"

Now he did look up, brows knitting together in a frown. "Why don't you just ask him?"

Lance blinked at the question, exchanging a look with Hunk. Staring at them with confusion, he felt something cold grip his heart, wondering if he'd said something wrong.

"He can't."

Jerking his head back, he regretted it, having to grip the edge of the table to keep himself from tipping over. He wasn't used to quick movements.

"Uh, Pidge?" He could almost hear the frown in Hunk's voice. "Maybe we shouldn't...?"

Pidge. The green paladin, his not-memories supplied.

"Lying to him isn't going to help." She said. "I thought that's what we agreed on."

"Well yeah, but... he like, just woke up." Hunk told her. "Maybe we should, you know... give him a bit more time before we drop that bombshell on him?"

"But you _will_ grill him about Keith's memories." Pidge observed, arching a brow.

"In my defense, that was Lance." Hunk said.

"Gee, thanks buddy." Lance said dryly.

Studying Pidge's face, he wondered what she meant. Shiro hadn't made it sound like he was incapacitated, so either he was lying, or...

Oh.

It dawned on him them, in a way it hadn't before. He had Keith's memories. And if he had them, then that meant... that meant that Keith _didn't_.

"I can- I can give them back." He blurted out, unable to stop himself. "I can- I don't- god, I don't even _want_ them."

He didn't. He really didn't. All they did was taunt him. Remind him of what he wasn't, what he couldn't be. As far as he was concerned, he'd be better off without them.

To her credit, Pidge only blinked. "I mean... it's not that simple. Allura's the only one who can, and she doesn't know how."

Oh. He felt something deflate at those words. So it _wasn't_ pity, then. They were just keeping him around because they didn't know how to get what they wanted from him. Yeah, that... that made a lot more sense, he thought. He was just mistaking basic decency for kindness, that was all.

He'd never exactly experienced either, so he didn't exactly have a good frame of reference for it. His not-memories were of no help. There weren't any feelings to go with them, just vague impressions at best.

Right. Of course. It made sense- there was no way the paladins of Voltron would be cruel. But it didn't mean any of them actually _wanted_ him here. They just needed him, that was all. He shouldn't have gotten his hopes up.

"So uh," Hunk piped up again, "-do you have anything you want to be called?"

Blinking at the question, he stared at Hunk. Shiro had asked the same thing of him. He didn't have an answer then, and he didn't have an answer now. He had a prisoner number, one that he could rattle off with ease, but nothing close to a _name_.

He didn't know why they kept asking. Maybe it was just inconvenient not to have something to call him by.

"I mean, we've been calling you _x_ , but that's not exactly like, a real name." Lance frowned, rubbing the back of his neck.

It definitely wasn't a name, but it was probably all he was worth. It was still better than a name that wasn't his. "That's fine. X is fine."

The three paladins exchanged uncertain glances, which he tried to ignore. Opening his mouth to say something, Hunk caught Pidge's eye, who shook her head. Watching them, he tried to pretend for a moment that his not-memories were his, that he truly was the real Keith Kogane- and regretted it, quickly.

He didn't belong here.

* * *

"He's asleep."

Glancing up at Pidge, Shiro gave her a grateful smile. "How'd he seem?"

"He let us call him x." Pidge told him. "So not great."

Smile faltering, Shiro could only sigh. Yeah, he'd kind of been expecting that. The worst case scenario was that the clone had Keith's issues on top of his own, which no doubt about it, would result in a huge mess.

"Where's Keith?" Pidge asked, glancing around the med bay. "Thought he'd be here."

"Training deck." Shiro reported. "Think he needed to work out some nerves."

Giving him an understanding hum, Pidge nodded her head. "So... what's the plan?"

"He stays here." Shiro told him. "We let him go at his own pace, get used to life around here. To us. I want to make sure that he knows he can trust us."

He had talked it over with Allura. She had been distressed to learn that the clone already knew what he was, and had quickly agreed to lend him a room. Just as a precaution, the clone would be locked out of certain areas of the ship, but honestly, it didn't seem like this was a trap.

He got the feeling that Allura was feeling a certain level of responsibility for all this. That because she was Altean, and because Haggar was Altean, it was on her shoulders to fix this. But he didn't think there was a fix for this- at least, not some kind of magical fix, bestowed upon her by the powers of Altean alchemy.

The only way to fix this was to do right by the clone. And by Keith.

It wouldn't be easy, but then again, when was anything ever easy?

On top of all that, they _still_ had the matter of Zarkon- and Lotor, him too. They couldn't just put a halt to fighting the Galra Empire just to deal with an existential crisis. But at the very least, he could try and make sure that there was always someone around on the Castle of Lions, just in case the clone needed someone to talk to.

 _If_ he was willing to talk. If his personality was as much like Keith's as he thought it was, that might prove to be tricky.

One step at a time, he reminded himself. He'd done this before. He could do it again.

He hoped.


End file.
